Yukinohana:
Just a lil fluffy/slightly lemony fic based on the wonderful snow we've been having recently and watching almost all of Gravi in one day. I don't own Gravitation; do you think I'd be at Uni, eating cold beans out of a can if I did?
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~Umarekawareru anata yo hitori hohoemanaide hitomi o irodoru nozonda sekai ga totsuzen hai ni natte mo kiseki ni mada meguriaeru Sotto dakishimete kowasu you ni~ (Sleepless Beauty --- Nittle Grasper)
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Yuki awoke to find his petite, cerise-haired lover bouncing up and down at the balcony window. His boundless enthusiasm seemed to have cranked up a notch, if that was even possible and when he finally noticed the blonde, leaning against the doorframe, watching him he squealed ecstatically.
"YUUUUUUU----KIIIII! LOOKOUTSIDEISN'TITAMAZINGLOOKITTHESNOWLOOOOOK!"
The novelist's brow furrowed and he shook his head slightly to banish the ringing from his ears. Eventhough he loved Schuichi sometimes he was not the best person to wake up to. However, today he chose to humour the teenager and sauntered up to the window, gazing out over the distant buildings through cool, detatched golden eyes.
"Hnh."
"Yuk--i? Is that all you have to say?? Doesn't this stir up your writer's soul or something??" Hopping from one foot to the other as he was, Schuichi stared up at him in horror.
Eiri took a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and lit up, taking a long, calming drag before he replied, "No, it's only snow."
He braced himself for the explosive reaction that offhand comment was bound to provoke, but Schuichi was already scampering round on the wide balcony beyond, having a snowball fight with himself and, Yuki thought with a barely visible smile, acting like a complete idiot.
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Gossamer swirls of snowflakes floated to the ground, which was already blanketed in pure white, that would slowly, but surely be ruined throughout the day. Of course the young man hunched over his desk had neither the time nor inclination to notice the picturesque scene laid out before him. The coffee he'd bought earlier lay stagnating in a cheap plastic cup beside his elbow; he rest of his office was, however spotlessly clean and betrayed his neurotic tendancy towards controlling his life. It didn't matter how small the capacity, as long as he felt some, small measure of power over his environment, when all around fundamental decisions about Bad Luck's future were made without his consent.
A knock at his door did nothing to rouse him from the mound of paper-work he currently had his nose buried in.
"Good morning!" He flinched, hoping the papers and files might just hide him from the owner of that gratingly familiar voice. His grasp of English was good enough to understand most of what K rambled on about, but often the man's whole care-free attitude and trigger happiness escaped him completely.
"Come on Sakano-san, get up --- we're going out."
Timidly he raised his head, peeking out at the American from under a few black strands of the fringe which brushed the rims of his glasses. The blonde was grinning and offered him a peace sign; for once however, he was not wearing his usual whire dress shirt and holster, but a thick, dark blue jacket. Sakano bowed his head once more and scribbled furiously on the invoice infront of him, trying not to think about how the jacket brought out the colour of K's eyes.
"No thankyou, Mister K...I have work to do."
"Bah! It's a snow day, everyone else has left already." Before he could protest K was already wrenching him out of his chair and out the door. He struggled and eventually managed to tear his arm from K's iron grip.
"M-mister K, I've told you before, a-as Bad L-luck's producer I have r-- responsibilities." He felt the blonde giving him a withering gaze and bowed almost as low as he would for Tohma. "Gomenasai."
Just as he was about to turn away and retreat to the safe confines of his office, K's hand clamped down on his shoulder, "And as your friend *I* have a responsibility..." He paused, meeting Sakano's eyes as the other man glanced round, he could tell the producer was ready to flee at any moment, but still...
"Tohma is worried about you..now just relax for one day and appease your president alright?" For once K didn't punctuate his reply with exuberant English or a sunny grin. His expression was deadly serious, bordering on anxious. Sakano sighed and reached up, loosening his tie just a fraction.
"When you put it that way..."
It was all K needed and with a warm smile he led Bad Luck's producer towards the lift. Sakano and Tohma would never have to know about his little white lie.
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"Na no da, Pico-pico Nori daijobu?....Awwww, kumagorou sends huggles....uh huh...bai bai!" Ryuichi sighed heavily and put his keitai down on the table he was leaning against. Kumagorou sat on his lap, staring at nothing in particular with his shiny black eyes. The singer wrapped one arm round his belly and hugged him close. "No one wants to play with us today Kuma'.." He told the bunny apologetically. On the television images of his past and present glories flashed by in a jumble of colours, kisses and bright lights. He watched intently as his former self, the one who seemed a world away now, strolled confidently across an anonymous stage and slipped his arms around his diminutive blonde bandmate, dipping him for a brief, delicious kiss. The crowd went wild. Backstage afterwards, sadly so did Noriko. She'd accused Tohma of taking advantage of 'her' Ryuichi so many times he could almost say the words for her. Tohma himself just stood by, observing them both in his impassive way, never condoning or condemning Ryu's actions. In all their years as friends and bandmates his own feelings remained a mystery except when it came to one subject. Yuki Eiri. Even now, Ryuichi was mystified by the NG president's marriage to Mika. Of course she was an assertive, beautiful woman, but she would never fill the void Eiri had left in Tohma's very soul. And as each day passed Ryu was himself now the helpless spectator as Tohma's resolve wore down slowly in the face of Yuki's unfaltering coldness. Sighing again he threw a cushion at the tv and settled against the table, cradling Kumagorou in his lap. He'd tried everyone this morning, after he discovered fooling around in the crisp, knee thick snow outside his house was little fun without someone to share it with. Schuichi was locked in a battle to enthuse Eiri about the Wintery weather, but had promised to visit him later in the week. He didn't know eith Bad Luck's guitarist Hiroshi or the little wizard of the keyboards whose name escaped him, well enough to call them up without a decent reason. K-san had babbled on about how utterly repressed and in need of some pleasure Sakano was throughout their little outing last night; he probably had the poor man pinned up against a wall by now. And seeing Tohma now was far too likely to break his heart. That left... *dada da dada da da--* The first bars of his old hit, Sleepless Beauty echoed through the chilly apartment and Ryuichi snatched it up. "La li ho?!" He practically screamed down the line, praying it was someone who could rescue him from the strange, unwelcome loneliness he'd fallen into.A faint chuckle reverberated back at him, "Nice to know you're happy to hear me...Ryuichi-san." The voice purred, sending a tiny shiver down Ryu's spine. He hugged Kuma tightly, constricting the bunny's pink stomach. "Nani na no da??" There was a rather muted and disgruntled sound, "You do know who this is right?" He shook his head and whispered, "...um..no.." Down the other end of the line Tatsuha rolled his eyes and gazed up at the window he knew from past visits was Ryu's lounge. "Look outside." He could just picture his idol now, getting to his feet with a grace that had never left him and creeping towards the window as if he were in a cheesy spy novel. Ryu complied wordlessly and a moment later his face peeked over the edge of the window, immediatly lighting up as he saw who stood in the middle of his snow-covered lawn. "Ta-kun!! O-H-A-Y-O." He grinned, that childish, endearing grin down at Tatsuha and unlatched the window to lean out precariously. The black-haired youth waved and walked up to his porch, letting himself in. It had worried him, how freely Ryu gave out spare keys to his home, a bit like his older brother, but at least if he was around to check up on the ditzy vocalist then nothing could harm him. Almost before he'd even taken his shoes off there was a thunderous clattering and Ryu sprinted down the stairs with Kumagorou held by the ear, trailing after him. He took a flying leap from the bottom step and flung himself into Tatsuha's waiting arms. "Ta-kun! When did you get back?? Kumagorou missed you." His amethyst eyes shimmered with delight, especially when Tatsuha leant back against the closed door and brushed back his chestnut fringe tenderly. "But did *you* miss me?" He asked. Setting his feet down Ryuichi let Kumagorou fall to the floor. All the simple childishness fading from his face. And in an instant he was Sakuma Ryuichi, Nittle Grasper's extraordinary vocalist, a grown man. He saw a sudden gleam in Tatsuha's eyes as they searched his own and he laid one palm on the wooden panel beside the teen's head. Leaning over to trace Ta- kun's lower lip with his tongue he kissed him forcefully. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mister K! Please refrain from---" Sakano blustered, his cheeks growing hot as K tugged his cheap jacket from his shoulders. The taller man chuckled and patted him on the head like an obedient pet. "What exactly do you think I'm up to?" He saw Sakano's horrified expression dull slightly as he offered the young man a black jacket with a fur-lined hood and a pair of black gloves. "I don't think Tohma would appreciate me bringing you back with pnemonia eh?" Sakano ducked his head and put on the clothes, a bright crimson blush staining his face. "G-gomenasai Mister--" "No more Mister this, Mister that either. My name is K, okay?" He added in perfect, cheerful English. The black-haired man nodded and stopped himsefl just short of bowing, which he knew K wouldn't appreciate either. K had led him towards the centre of town, through streets crowded with shoppers, families and couples who cared for nothing but each other. The whole city was lit up, not only the usual pale squares of office windows, but rainbow coloured strings of fairy lights, leftovers from Christmas, which seemed to fit in with the post-festive season still. K draped his arm over Sakano's shoulders and studied him for a moment, as if gauging how far he could push him before something gave and he scrambled back into his shell once more. But, to his surprise Sakano didn't try and escape him. "We're going --" He paused for dramatic effect and then bellowed, "Ice skating!" Sakano tensed visibly, "K-san, I don't think I--" "You can't skate??" K asked, leaning round to peer at him curiously. The producer nodded, looking ashamed and nervous, so much so that K couldn't resist giving his waist a little squeeze with his other hand. "I'll just have to teach you then." His languid, drawl took on a hint of glee and Sakano wondered if he was going to survive the rest of the day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It had been a struggle to get Eiri to even stop smoking long enough to grab a coat and join him on the balcony, but Schuichi was nothing if not persistent and after an hour of whining the writer finally gave in. At least it would keep his demanding koibito quiet for a while. The singer pelted him with a slushy ball of ice and he smiled wanly. He would pad around in the snow for a few minutes and then retire to his study. But, Schuichi had other plans. "Yukiiiii! Let's make a snowman, come on we can make it look like someone we know!!! It'll be fun Yuki, pllleaseeee?" Schu scurried around him, his hands clasped together as if the entreating gesture might affect Yuki's frigid demenour for once. Eiri raised his hand and the pink-haired boy cowered, thinking he was about to recieve a slap. Yuki never meant to hurt him, he knew that and his wrath was always balanced out by the subtle, intimacies they shared. This time however, Yuki ruffled his hair affectionatly. His features remained composed in an unreadable mask, but he inclined his head, a stray beam of pale light catching on the hoop dangling from his right earlobe. "As long as it isn't me." And deep down Eiri's heart warmed when he saw Schuichi smile elatedly back at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was always like this when they made love. The immature, melodramatic facade Ryuichi had so carefully built up around himsefl came crashing down and he dominated Tatsuha entirely, unlike any of his past conquests. No, Tatsuha honestly felt this was something more, he truly belonged to Ryu. He didn't know how he found himself, lying on the pale, clean sheets of Ryuichi's bed; his honey hued skin exposed to the wan daylight and hair in disarray. Ryu sat astride him, both arms braced on the matress beneath them as he plundered his mouth, soft lips never straying more than enough to tease at one dark nipple or follow the delicate line of his collar bone, tasting every inch of the body he owned. All those nights spent locked in his room, exhausting himself with erotic, frantic images of Nittle Grasper's vocalist were nothing compared to this. Tatsuha murmured Ryu's name, not quite begging, but close enough as he felt Ryu's skilled hand slip between his thighs. *dada da dada da dada da* "Ehh?" Ryu whispered a little breathlessly against his swollen lips, his hand stilling instantly. Inside Tatsuha cursed vehemantly, while all he could do was look up at Ryu, shifting uncomfortably beneath him. "Forget it." And pressed his lips firmly against Ryu's, his own hands trailing down his lover's spine, to rest just above his pert behind. Ryu nodded and closed his eyes once more, returning the kiss and curling his slender fingers round Tatsuha's almost painful erection to stroke him slowly until his breathy moans filled the room. Neither one heard a key turning in the lock. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sakano didn't have the heart, or nerve to protest as they walked into the local Skating rink....when K paid for two tickets....as they both pulled on boots that didn't quite fit.... K was perfectly at ease, bouncing round as if he was born wearing a pair of skates and unaware of the wealth of female attention his antics in the changing room were gaining him. A group of young women returning from their time on the ice cooed and whispered behind their palms as the tall blonde strode around, chatting away to Sakano until he'd laced up his own boots. "Right! Let's go!" He exclaimed. Sakano swallowed thickly and staggered to his feet. He took a few hesitant steps and wavered, but K grabbed his arm just in time and set him straight. "You'll get used to it in no time." His tone was so confident, that Sakano found himself hoping maybe he would turn out to be correct. The women tittered loudly as K wrapped one large hand around Sakano's and led him out towards the ice. He could have sworn he head the words, "....kawaii and couple.." Luckily there weren't too many others skating, just a token young girl, barely out of her pre-teen years who wore an elaborate,sequined costume and skated effortlessly, urged on by her insistent mother from the side-lines and a few couples. K had to bolster Sakano's confidence for a full ten minutes before the man would even take one step out onto the frozen circle and when he did the producer collapsed instantly into his arms. Definatly not a natural. Sakano looked up at him, fear dancing through his eyes for a moment and then much to K's delight he giggled, the sound building into a self- conscious, but genuine laugh which K echoed. They stood there, as still as ice statues for a moment and then K set him right once more, keeping hold of his hand tightly. "See, this isn't so bad." Sakano nodded, a look of pure concentration taking over when K gently pulled him along, wending through the other skaters in a lazy circle. Not bad at all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Schuichi chortled to himself rather hysterically and poked a carrot into the centre of his snowman's face. Despite trying to escape several times Yuki was still stood by his side, brushing the last of the snow from his numbed fingers. "Finished!! OH Yuki, isn't she wonderful?" He bounced like a yo-yo and ran round the white figure until Yuki snagged his collar and pulled him to a skidded stop. "She?" He enquired, raising one tapered eyebrow. "Don't you recognize her???!" He squealed, his purple eyes widening to the size of tea saucers. Yuki grunted, it could've been Father Fucking Christmas for all he knew. The clumpy snowman stared back at him, looking slightly indignant despite its inanimate nature. Schuichi put one hand on his hip and wiggled, posing rather sluttily; his voice raised to a glass-smashing falsetto, "Here's Pico-Pico Nori-chan!!" The second his impression was over he cackled with laughter, ignoring Yuki's dour expression. "Hnh." Yuki turned on his heel and walked back into the apartment, but as usual Schu was in hot pursuit and latched onto him; his trainers spreading a pool of cold water over the polished floorboards. "Thankyou." He said quietly. Yuki shifted in his arms and batted them away. "Yuki--?" A pair of cool hands cupped his cheeks and Yuki brushed his lips over Schuichi's so lightly he barely felt them. No Thank*you* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ryuichi's home was so quiet that until the key's owner stepped out onto the landing and heard a strangled cry emanating from the bedroom he almost believed Ryuichi was gone. So, his friend was entertaining. It was a rare event, at least since Nittle Grasper had disbanded and his job tore them both apart. A smile rose to his lips unbidden and he crept along the corridor towards a door that wasn't quite closed.
The fevered cries continued, rising sharply as he approached and peered through the opening discreetly; Ryuichi wouldn't mind...afterall they'd known each other intimately for some time. At first he recoiled, struck as if he'd been punched by the sight beyond, but something was wrong. The young man writhing beneath Ryuichi was the mirror image of Yuki, 'his' Yuki, but it was not him. Tohma leant against the door-frame and exhaled, the breath trembling in his chest.
Tatsuha.
It didn't surprise him that much; he'd heard from Schuichi that the teen was a rabid fan of Ryuichi's and worshipped the ground he walked on. Ryu wasn't the type to screw fans though, he had more dignity than that. A tiny, gentle smile coloured Tohma's lips; Ryu deserved some happiness.
The blonde watched on in silence as Tatsuha arched, his whole body shuddering and with a final, breathless exclamation of Ryu's name spent himself over the vocalist's hands and stomach. They both sank back in a jumble of limbs onto the mattress and Ryu planted a tender kiss on Tatsuha's damp forehead.
"Aishiteru." They both whispered in turn.
Tohma smiled to himself and made his way back down the stairs.
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Sakano wasn't drunk, but the three bottles of Asahi K had persuaded him into drinking when they'd finished wobbling round the ice-rink had helped to loosen up his tightly coiled nerves.
In the lounge of K's spacious apartment the manager and his colleague sat beside each other on a plush cream sofa and found they actually had more in common than either could have guessed. It was simple things really, a shared love of neatness (of course in Sakano's case it was infinitely amplified) similar opinions on the direction of Bad Luck (Although K's methods were rather reliant on his precious guns) and a rather secret enjoyment of TV romance douramas which it had taken all three beers for Sakano to confess to.
The producer sat, his tie loosened and top shirt button undone; for the first time since K'd known him he looked truly at ease. It was a sight that brought a warm, satisfied smile forth and Sakano sat up alittle, "Is something wrong K-san?"
Not at all.
K set his beer down and reached out; the younger man gasped, but didn't shy away as his thick-rimmed glasses were removed, leaving his dark gaze unmarred by the unflattering accessories.
"You have nice eyes Sakano, don't hide them."
Bowing his head, Sakano smiled shyly, "If you really think.."
He felt K's hand wander down just under his chin and tilt his head up until their eyes met, "I do." He replied and Sakano blushed.
There was a fondness in K's gaze that he'd never noticed...almost like the snow falling in the early morning. He'd been blissfully ignorant.
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~Owari~
Just a lil fluffy/slightly lemony fic based on the wonderful snow we've been having recently and watching almost all of Gravi in one day. I don't own Gravitation; do you think I'd be at Uni, eating cold beans out of a can if I did?
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~Umarekawareru anata yo hitori hohoemanaide hitomi o irodoru nozonda sekai ga totsuzen hai ni natte mo kiseki ni mada meguriaeru Sotto dakishimete kowasu you ni~ (Sleepless Beauty --- Nittle Grasper)
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Yuki awoke to find his petite, cerise-haired lover bouncing up and down at the balcony window. His boundless enthusiasm seemed to have cranked up a notch, if that was even possible and when he finally noticed the blonde, leaning against the doorframe, watching him he squealed ecstatically.
"YUUUUUUU----KIIIII! LOOKOUTSIDEISN'TITAMAZINGLOOKITTHESNOWLOOOOOK!"
The novelist's brow furrowed and he shook his head slightly to banish the ringing from his ears. Eventhough he loved Schuichi sometimes he was not the best person to wake up to. However, today he chose to humour the teenager and sauntered up to the window, gazing out over the distant buildings through cool, detatched golden eyes.
"Hnh."
"Yuk--i? Is that all you have to say?? Doesn't this stir up your writer's soul or something??" Hopping from one foot to the other as he was, Schuichi stared up at him in horror.
Eiri took a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and lit up, taking a long, calming drag before he replied, "No, it's only snow."
He braced himself for the explosive reaction that offhand comment was bound to provoke, but Schuichi was already scampering round on the wide balcony beyond, having a snowball fight with himself and, Yuki thought with a barely visible smile, acting like a complete idiot.
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Gossamer swirls of snowflakes floated to the ground, which was already blanketed in pure white, that would slowly, but surely be ruined throughout the day. Of course the young man hunched over his desk had neither the time nor inclination to notice the picturesque scene laid out before him. The coffee he'd bought earlier lay stagnating in a cheap plastic cup beside his elbow; he rest of his office was, however spotlessly clean and betrayed his neurotic tendancy towards controlling his life. It didn't matter how small the capacity, as long as he felt some, small measure of power over his environment, when all around fundamental decisions about Bad Luck's future were made without his consent.
A knock at his door did nothing to rouse him from the mound of paper-work he currently had his nose buried in.
"Good morning!" He flinched, hoping the papers and files might just hide him from the owner of that gratingly familiar voice. His grasp of English was good enough to understand most of what K rambled on about, but often the man's whole care-free attitude and trigger happiness escaped him completely.
"Come on Sakano-san, get up --- we're going out."
Timidly he raised his head, peeking out at the American from under a few black strands of the fringe which brushed the rims of his glasses. The blonde was grinning and offered him a peace sign; for once however, he was not wearing his usual whire dress shirt and holster, but a thick, dark blue jacket. Sakano bowed his head once more and scribbled furiously on the invoice infront of him, trying not to think about how the jacket brought out the colour of K's eyes.
"No thankyou, Mister K...I have work to do."
"Bah! It's a snow day, everyone else has left already." Before he could protest K was already wrenching him out of his chair and out the door. He struggled and eventually managed to tear his arm from K's iron grip.
"M-mister K, I've told you before, a-as Bad L-luck's producer I have r-- responsibilities." He felt the blonde giving him a withering gaze and bowed almost as low as he would for Tohma. "Gomenasai."
Just as he was about to turn away and retreat to the safe confines of his office, K's hand clamped down on his shoulder, "And as your friend *I* have a responsibility..." He paused, meeting Sakano's eyes as the other man glanced round, he could tell the producer was ready to flee at any moment, but still...
"Tohma is worried about you..now just relax for one day and appease your president alright?" For once K didn't punctuate his reply with exuberant English or a sunny grin. His expression was deadly serious, bordering on anxious. Sakano sighed and reached up, loosening his tie just a fraction.
"When you put it that way..."
It was all K needed and with a warm smile he led Bad Luck's producer towards the lift. Sakano and Tohma would never have to know about his little white lie.
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"Na no da, Pico-pico Nori daijobu?....Awwww, kumagorou sends huggles....uh huh...bai bai!" Ryuichi sighed heavily and put his keitai down on the table he was leaning against. Kumagorou sat on his lap, staring at nothing in particular with his shiny black eyes. The singer wrapped one arm round his belly and hugged him close. "No one wants to play with us today Kuma'.." He told the bunny apologetically. On the television images of his past and present glories flashed by in a jumble of colours, kisses and bright lights. He watched intently as his former self, the one who seemed a world away now, strolled confidently across an anonymous stage and slipped his arms around his diminutive blonde bandmate, dipping him for a brief, delicious kiss. The crowd went wild. Backstage afterwards, sadly so did Noriko. She'd accused Tohma of taking advantage of 'her' Ryuichi so many times he could almost say the words for her. Tohma himself just stood by, observing them both in his impassive way, never condoning or condemning Ryu's actions. In all their years as friends and bandmates his own feelings remained a mystery except when it came to one subject. Yuki Eiri. Even now, Ryuichi was mystified by the NG president's marriage to Mika. Of course she was an assertive, beautiful woman, but she would never fill the void Eiri had left in Tohma's very soul. And as each day passed Ryu was himself now the helpless spectator as Tohma's resolve wore down slowly in the face of Yuki's unfaltering coldness. Sighing again he threw a cushion at the tv and settled against the table, cradling Kumagorou in his lap. He'd tried everyone this morning, after he discovered fooling around in the crisp, knee thick snow outside his house was little fun without someone to share it with. Schuichi was locked in a battle to enthuse Eiri about the Wintery weather, but had promised to visit him later in the week. He didn't know eith Bad Luck's guitarist Hiroshi or the little wizard of the keyboards whose name escaped him, well enough to call them up without a decent reason. K-san had babbled on about how utterly repressed and in need of some pleasure Sakano was throughout their little outing last night; he probably had the poor man pinned up against a wall by now. And seeing Tohma now was far too likely to break his heart. That left... *dada da dada da da--* The first bars of his old hit, Sleepless Beauty echoed through the chilly apartment and Ryuichi snatched it up. "La li ho?!" He practically screamed down the line, praying it was someone who could rescue him from the strange, unwelcome loneliness he'd fallen into.A faint chuckle reverberated back at him, "Nice to know you're happy to hear me...Ryuichi-san." The voice purred, sending a tiny shiver down Ryu's spine. He hugged Kuma tightly, constricting the bunny's pink stomach. "Nani na no da??" There was a rather muted and disgruntled sound, "You do know who this is right?" He shook his head and whispered, "...um..no.." Down the other end of the line Tatsuha rolled his eyes and gazed up at the window he knew from past visits was Ryu's lounge. "Look outside." He could just picture his idol now, getting to his feet with a grace that had never left him and creeping towards the window as if he were in a cheesy spy novel. Ryu complied wordlessly and a moment later his face peeked over the edge of the window, immediatly lighting up as he saw who stood in the middle of his snow-covered lawn. "Ta-kun!! O-H-A-Y-O." He grinned, that childish, endearing grin down at Tatsuha and unlatched the window to lean out precariously. The black-haired youth waved and walked up to his porch, letting himself in. It had worried him, how freely Ryu gave out spare keys to his home, a bit like his older brother, but at least if he was around to check up on the ditzy vocalist then nothing could harm him. Almost before he'd even taken his shoes off there was a thunderous clattering and Ryu sprinted down the stairs with Kumagorou held by the ear, trailing after him. He took a flying leap from the bottom step and flung himself into Tatsuha's waiting arms. "Ta-kun! When did you get back?? Kumagorou missed you." His amethyst eyes shimmered with delight, especially when Tatsuha leant back against the closed door and brushed back his chestnut fringe tenderly. "But did *you* miss me?" He asked. Setting his feet down Ryuichi let Kumagorou fall to the floor. All the simple childishness fading from his face. And in an instant he was Sakuma Ryuichi, Nittle Grasper's extraordinary vocalist, a grown man. He saw a sudden gleam in Tatsuha's eyes as they searched his own and he laid one palm on the wooden panel beside the teen's head. Leaning over to trace Ta- kun's lower lip with his tongue he kissed him forcefully. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mister K! Please refrain from---" Sakano blustered, his cheeks growing hot as K tugged his cheap jacket from his shoulders. The taller man chuckled and patted him on the head like an obedient pet. "What exactly do you think I'm up to?" He saw Sakano's horrified expression dull slightly as he offered the young man a black jacket with a fur-lined hood and a pair of black gloves. "I don't think Tohma would appreciate me bringing you back with pnemonia eh?" Sakano ducked his head and put on the clothes, a bright crimson blush staining his face. "G-gomenasai Mister--" "No more Mister this, Mister that either. My name is K, okay?" He added in perfect, cheerful English. The black-haired man nodded and stopped himsefl just short of bowing, which he knew K wouldn't appreciate either. K had led him towards the centre of town, through streets crowded with shoppers, families and couples who cared for nothing but each other. The whole city was lit up, not only the usual pale squares of office windows, but rainbow coloured strings of fairy lights, leftovers from Christmas, which seemed to fit in with the post-festive season still. K draped his arm over Sakano's shoulders and studied him for a moment, as if gauging how far he could push him before something gave and he scrambled back into his shell once more. But, to his surprise Sakano didn't try and escape him. "We're going --" He paused for dramatic effect and then bellowed, "Ice skating!" Sakano tensed visibly, "K-san, I don't think I--" "You can't skate??" K asked, leaning round to peer at him curiously. The producer nodded, looking ashamed and nervous, so much so that K couldn't resist giving his waist a little squeeze with his other hand. "I'll just have to teach you then." His languid, drawl took on a hint of glee and Sakano wondered if he was going to survive the rest of the day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It had been a struggle to get Eiri to even stop smoking long enough to grab a coat and join him on the balcony, but Schuichi was nothing if not persistent and after an hour of whining the writer finally gave in. At least it would keep his demanding koibito quiet for a while. The singer pelted him with a slushy ball of ice and he smiled wanly. He would pad around in the snow for a few minutes and then retire to his study. But, Schuichi had other plans. "Yukiiiii! Let's make a snowman, come on we can make it look like someone we know!!! It'll be fun Yuki, pllleaseeee?" Schu scurried around him, his hands clasped together as if the entreating gesture might affect Yuki's frigid demenour for once. Eiri raised his hand and the pink-haired boy cowered, thinking he was about to recieve a slap. Yuki never meant to hurt him, he knew that and his wrath was always balanced out by the subtle, intimacies they shared. This time however, Yuki ruffled his hair affectionatly. His features remained composed in an unreadable mask, but he inclined his head, a stray beam of pale light catching on the hoop dangling from his right earlobe. "As long as it isn't me." And deep down Eiri's heart warmed when he saw Schuichi smile elatedly back at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was always like this when they made love. The immature, melodramatic facade Ryuichi had so carefully built up around himsefl came crashing down and he dominated Tatsuha entirely, unlike any of his past conquests. No, Tatsuha honestly felt this was something more, he truly belonged to Ryu. He didn't know how he found himself, lying on the pale, clean sheets of Ryuichi's bed; his honey hued skin exposed to the wan daylight and hair in disarray. Ryu sat astride him, both arms braced on the matress beneath them as he plundered his mouth, soft lips never straying more than enough to tease at one dark nipple or follow the delicate line of his collar bone, tasting every inch of the body he owned. All those nights spent locked in his room, exhausting himself with erotic, frantic images of Nittle Grasper's vocalist were nothing compared to this. Tatsuha murmured Ryu's name, not quite begging, but close enough as he felt Ryu's skilled hand slip between his thighs. *dada da dada da dada da* "Ehh?" Ryu whispered a little breathlessly against his swollen lips, his hand stilling instantly. Inside Tatsuha cursed vehemantly, while all he could do was look up at Ryu, shifting uncomfortably beneath him. "Forget it." And pressed his lips firmly against Ryu's, his own hands trailing down his lover's spine, to rest just above his pert behind. Ryu nodded and closed his eyes once more, returning the kiss and curling his slender fingers round Tatsuha's almost painful erection to stroke him slowly until his breathy moans filled the room. Neither one heard a key turning in the lock. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sakano didn't have the heart, or nerve to protest as they walked into the local Skating rink....when K paid for two tickets....as they both pulled on boots that didn't quite fit.... K was perfectly at ease, bouncing round as if he was born wearing a pair of skates and unaware of the wealth of female attention his antics in the changing room were gaining him. A group of young women returning from their time on the ice cooed and whispered behind their palms as the tall blonde strode around, chatting away to Sakano until he'd laced up his own boots. "Right! Let's go!" He exclaimed. Sakano swallowed thickly and staggered to his feet. He took a few hesitant steps and wavered, but K grabbed his arm just in time and set him straight. "You'll get used to it in no time." His tone was so confident, that Sakano found himself hoping maybe he would turn out to be correct. The women tittered loudly as K wrapped one large hand around Sakano's and led him out towards the ice. He could have sworn he head the words, "....kawaii and couple.." Luckily there weren't too many others skating, just a token young girl, barely out of her pre-teen years who wore an elaborate,sequined costume and skated effortlessly, urged on by her insistent mother from the side-lines and a few couples. K had to bolster Sakano's confidence for a full ten minutes before the man would even take one step out onto the frozen circle and when he did the producer collapsed instantly into his arms. Definatly not a natural. Sakano looked up at him, fear dancing through his eyes for a moment and then much to K's delight he giggled, the sound building into a self- conscious, but genuine laugh which K echoed. They stood there, as still as ice statues for a moment and then K set him right once more, keeping hold of his hand tightly. "See, this isn't so bad." Sakano nodded, a look of pure concentration taking over when K gently pulled him along, wending through the other skaters in a lazy circle. Not bad at all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Schuichi chortled to himself rather hysterically and poked a carrot into the centre of his snowman's face. Despite trying to escape several times Yuki was still stood by his side, brushing the last of the snow from his numbed fingers. "Finished!! OH Yuki, isn't she wonderful?" He bounced like a yo-yo and ran round the white figure until Yuki snagged his collar and pulled him to a skidded stop. "She?" He enquired, raising one tapered eyebrow. "Don't you recognize her???!" He squealed, his purple eyes widening to the size of tea saucers. Yuki grunted, it could've been Father Fucking Christmas for all he knew. The clumpy snowman stared back at him, looking slightly indignant despite its inanimate nature. Schuichi put one hand on his hip and wiggled, posing rather sluttily; his voice raised to a glass-smashing falsetto, "Here's Pico-Pico Nori-chan!!" The second his impression was over he cackled with laughter, ignoring Yuki's dour expression. "Hnh." Yuki turned on his heel and walked back into the apartment, but as usual Schu was in hot pursuit and latched onto him; his trainers spreading a pool of cold water over the polished floorboards. "Thankyou." He said quietly. Yuki shifted in his arms and batted them away. "Yuki--?" A pair of cool hands cupped his cheeks and Yuki brushed his lips over Schuichi's so lightly he barely felt them. No Thank*you* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ryuichi's home was so quiet that until the key's owner stepped out onto the landing and heard a strangled cry emanating from the bedroom he almost believed Ryuichi was gone. So, his friend was entertaining. It was a rare event, at least since Nittle Grasper had disbanded and his job tore them both apart. A smile rose to his lips unbidden and he crept along the corridor towards a door that wasn't quite closed.
The fevered cries continued, rising sharply as he approached and peered through the opening discreetly; Ryuichi wouldn't mind...afterall they'd known each other intimately for some time. At first he recoiled, struck as if he'd been punched by the sight beyond, but something was wrong. The young man writhing beneath Ryuichi was the mirror image of Yuki, 'his' Yuki, but it was not him. Tohma leant against the door-frame and exhaled, the breath trembling in his chest.
Tatsuha.
It didn't surprise him that much; he'd heard from Schuichi that the teen was a rabid fan of Ryuichi's and worshipped the ground he walked on. Ryu wasn't the type to screw fans though, he had more dignity than that. A tiny, gentle smile coloured Tohma's lips; Ryu deserved some happiness.
The blonde watched on in silence as Tatsuha arched, his whole body shuddering and with a final, breathless exclamation of Ryu's name spent himself over the vocalist's hands and stomach. They both sank back in a jumble of limbs onto the mattress and Ryu planted a tender kiss on Tatsuha's damp forehead.
"Aishiteru." They both whispered in turn.
Tohma smiled to himself and made his way back down the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sakano wasn't drunk, but the three bottles of Asahi K had persuaded him into drinking when they'd finished wobbling round the ice-rink had helped to loosen up his tightly coiled nerves.
In the lounge of K's spacious apartment the manager and his colleague sat beside each other on a plush cream sofa and found they actually had more in common than either could have guessed. It was simple things really, a shared love of neatness (of course in Sakano's case it was infinitely amplified) similar opinions on the direction of Bad Luck (Although K's methods were rather reliant on his precious guns) and a rather secret enjoyment of TV romance douramas which it had taken all three beers for Sakano to confess to.
The producer sat, his tie loosened and top shirt button undone; for the first time since K'd known him he looked truly at ease. It was a sight that brought a warm, satisfied smile forth and Sakano sat up alittle, "Is something wrong K-san?"
Not at all.
K set his beer down and reached out; the younger man gasped, but didn't shy away as his thick-rimmed glasses were removed, leaving his dark gaze unmarred by the unflattering accessories.
"You have nice eyes Sakano, don't hide them."
Bowing his head, Sakano smiled shyly, "If you really think.."
He felt K's hand wander down just under his chin and tilt his head up until their eyes met, "I do." He replied and Sakano blushed.
There was a fondness in K's gaze that he'd never noticed...almost like the snow falling in the early morning. He'd been blissfully ignorant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Owari~