Enjoy your Christmas (with him)
First of all, yeah, this is not an update of "Longer Days" - I'm sorry. The facts: I'm in my father's home this weekend, not in my own house (I study in a city far from my hometown, and spend all the month away from home and my family. God, so much things to do, so little time! I needed my father's talk and his homemade food). And, well, all the chapters of that fic are in my PC - making it short, out of my reach for now. So I just searched my things and found this fic here, that I wrote two years ago. It's very simple, but it's also funny and I like it.
I dedicate this fic to Werepire, for giving me my first review. Thank you so much! I was so absurdly happy to read your kind comment! It made me want to write more and improve my writing, and that's why I went on search of old GD material within the realms of my bedroom, on a Saturday night. :)
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters; they all belong to CLAMP. The only things here that belong to me are the strange ideas I take out of my delirous brain.
*
"I don't believe it!", Kazahaya shouted, arms wide open. "Are you two going to leave us alone on Christmas Eve?! What are you, monsters?"
Kakei smiled.
"Kudou-kun, don't get angry. At least I'm not asking you to work today. I'm a good man, don't you agree?"
"WHO WOULD GO TO A DRUGSTORE ON CHRISTMAS EVE, FOR GOD'S SAKE?!", the boy cried, putting the hands over his head.
"I can think in lots of people who could need to", Rikuo answered, listening to the argument from a safe distance.
"I'm not talking to you!" *inflamed glare* "And it doesn't matter! Why can't we go to the party with you, Kakei-san?"
Saiga, wearing an elegant dark overcoat, approached the duo and murmured on his employee's ear:
"That's because in this party only two can play, boy". Attaching an arm over Kazahaya's shoulder, he added, in a conspiratory tone: "But if Kakei agrees, maybe you can come next time. We could even call Rikuo, and make a..."
Kazahaya didn't hear the rest because he jumped very far away from the man, red like very a pretty strawberry, while Kakei offered his arm to his partner.
"Merry Christmas to you" he said, leaving.
Saiga only laughed, locking the door.
***
"Shit! Alone in a desert drugstore, on Christmas Eve!" Kazahaya complained again. "How do they expect we celebrate?"
Rikuo smiled evilly from the couch.
"You have such perverted toughts, Kazahaya".
It was enough to bristle all the hair on Kazahaya's arm and make him shriek in anger, spilling a torrent of his favorite insults over the other teen.
"All right, stop it already" Rikuo muttered, after some minutes. "Let's eat something."
***
Kazahaya was looking at the frozen bird on the table for some minutes now, with genuine curiosity.
"What's this?"
Rikuo was searching for something in the cupboard.
"It's a turkey."
Kazahaya was still wearing the same face of nothing.
"A what?"
Rikuo noticed he would need to give his roomate a little more information.
"It's a bird. In occidental countries, it's traditional to eat this on Christmas. My uncle cooked us once."
Kazahaya made an "ooh" and looked at the turkey with renewed interest.
"How does it taste like?" he asked, the eyes shining.
Rikuo stopped to think for a moment.
"Have you ever eaten chiken?"
"Hmm, no."
"How about duck?"
"Uh... no, I think."
Rikuo was already tired.
"Have you ever eaten a bird?"
"N-no."
"So I can't explain."
"Wha-what?! Why not??? I want to know!"
"You just need to wait until it's ready, Kazahaya."
"WHAT! NO!"
The argument continued for all the cycle of preparation and cookery of the turkey. Apparently, Kazahaya was not capable of waiting so long to discover how exactly the misterious bird tasted like.
"Does it taste like salmon?" he asked, while Rikuo was seasoned the turkey.
"Does it taste like octopus?" he asked, when Rikuo lighted the oven.
"Maybe he tastes like..." he began, ten minutes after the bird had been put in the oven.
Rikuo threw the dish towel on the sink and walked towards his colleague. When he was just a few centimeters away, Rikuo placed his open hand on the wall, beside the blonde's head, and moved his face closer of the other face, until he almost could touch his nose.
"Either you stay with your mouth shut..." he paused, threatening, and drew even closer, "or I make you."
Nothing could have been more effective.
***
The supper was satisfying, even pleasant in Kazahaya's opinion - even tough neither he nor Rikuo had talked during the meal; they just ate.
"Hm, it was really good this... ahm..."
"Turkey."
"Turkey..." The boy took another forkful of meat. "It sheemsh that you can dho thingsh right shomethimesh."
Rikuo answered with a cutting glare.
"And who are you to tell me this, mr. please-save-my-ass?"
"WHATH DHID YOU SHAY?"
"Shit Kazahaya, don't spit your food on me!"
"So you stop annoying me!" Kazahaya replied, slamming his hand onto the table. "It seems like you live just to bother me!"
Rikuo showed that devilish smile that was his trademark.
"Ooh, so now you got angry?
"You know what?! Yeah! Yeah, I got angry!"
Kazahaya stood up still holding his fork, making a lot of noise when pushing his chair to the side.
"Jerk! You can have your turkey!"
Rikuo remained in place for some seconds more, seeing his workmate withdraw with quick steps, and then stood, slowly.
"Kazahaya."
"WHAT?"
He walked towards the blonde and pulled his hand.
"Come."
Complete surprise:
"What? Where to?!"
Absolute seriousness:
"Let's have a date."
***
Kazahaya really tried, but had no success in extracting more information of his roomate about his plans for the night - shit, this sounded like they were... God.
But, well, he really had nothing else to do that night, and it wouldn't cause him any harm to follow the jerk, he supposed...
...maybe he could get even more food for free! (and that, Kazahaya concluded, is always a good thing)
The lights on the streets where all on, and the snow fell in slow motion. A lot of people was passing by - with his relatives, kids, friends, consorts, lovers. It was a typical Christmas Eve.
And in the middle of all that things, Kazahaya was the only one feeling out of place.
After all, he was the only one holding hands with another man.
"Uh, I think you can let go of my hand now, Rikuo."
Rikuo quickly glanced at their hands and complied.
But people didn't seem interested if they were holding hands or the like - maybe they were concerned with other, more important things. The world seemed so peaceful and agreeable... a choral was singing songs on the other side of the street, near a large and colored pine tree.
Kazahaya sighed, satisfied. Life could be good, sometimes.
A little later, Kazahaya noted that Rikuo was slowing down the pace; they stopped soon after.
The blonde looked around.
"What are you looking for? Why did we stop?"
Rikuo's answer was a piercing, somewhat severe gaze. Kazahaya almost let a low murmur escape, surprised before his colleague's seriousness, but instead decided to study more carefully the place where they had stopped.
There was nothing really different around - a square, some stores, people walking by... trees...
A pine tree with colored lights.
Snow.
Kazahaya bend his body slowly, until he could touch the ground; he left his hand deepen in the soft snow.
Soft, white, freezing snow.
The images of last Christmas hit him with such force that he almost fell frontwards. With the hand still in the ground, he raised his eyes to face Rikuo.
Whatever he was feeling, it wasn't being displayed in his features. Not even a muscle out of place.
Kazahaya realized he still hadn't the energy required to say something. He kept gazing at Rikuo (nonchalant, hands in the pockets), with the fists clenched and the body stiffed.
"Did you regret your decision?"
Rikuo lifted a brow.
"Are you returning me?"
Rikuo raised a hand and slowly began to massage his forehead.
"Are you idiot? God, of course not."
Kazahaya's relief was plain obvious in his face. Rikuo decided it was necessary to add an extra:
"Idiot."
The other boy answered with an annoyed glance, that soon traveled to a point beneath the tree that he knew all too well.
Rikuo crouched beside him.
"I brought you here to make you remember of one thing."
Kazahaya snorted and averted his eyes.
"You don't have to repeat again that you saved my lif..."
"That's not it."
Kazahaya turned his head, perplexed. Rikuo was looking directly at him.
"I want you to remember that I took you from the snow..." he stopped, turned his head to the opposite side, than looked at him again, "and since that day you have another life."
Kazahaya opened his mouth, and forgot to close it - he couldn't possibly be trying to...
But Rikuo left him no time for conjectures - he got up and turned his back.
"I don't know what happened before you show up fallen over there", it was Rikuo's voice again "and, honestly, it doesn't matter to me."
"Rikuo..."
No way... was that the same guy that wakes up at morning and throws a shoe at him? The same guy that annoy him and shows him that irritant smile every day? The same...
The taller guy turned to face him once more.
Kazahaya looked at him, almost passionately.
Rikuo smiled.
"You must try harder not to decline again, or you may end up here once more."
"...wait, WHAT?! What... what did you say?! YOU OVERGROWTH MUTANT BEAR!!!"
***
While walking back to the apartment, the Green Drugstore employees kept silent.
Kazayaka didn't say a word about the issue, though he suspected that Rikuo's unusual attitude was just a strange way to cheer him up. He would never admit it, but Rikuo had been really kind and his words had made Kazahaya's heart half-stop for a few seconds, and then beat like crazy. Even worse: for some obscure, unknown reason, glancing sideways towards Rikuo now, Kazahaya thought he was somehow kind of... attractive? This single thought was causing the boy to glue his eyes on the pavement and making him feel even more annoyed, because he knew he was blushing like mad without a valid reason.
Rikuo didn't told Kazahaya either, but the fingers inside his pockets still remembered the weight of his colleague's hands. And though he didn't intend to say a single word about the issue ever, he had chosen the longest way to the square because for some obscure, unknown reason, to walk holding hands with Kazahaya felt extremely good.
The two boys kept on walking by the chilly streets.
***
(after the party)
The next morning, on Green Drugstore.
*Kazahaya, tying his apron: "They'll be back any minute now... any minute... SHIT, I CAN'T TIE THIS DAMN APRON!!!"
*Rikuo, deadpanned: "Are you ashamed just because Kakei and Saiga went..."
*Kazahaya, beet red: "HOW CAN I LOOK THEM IN THE FACE??? HELL, AFTER SAIGA TOLD ME IN DETAILS WHAT THEY WERE INTENDING TO DO?!"
*Rikuo, skeptical: "He was as dubious as possible. The details are your own creation."
*(door opening)*
*Kazahaya, forgetting about the apron and despairing: "They're here!"
*Rikuo, sighing: "God. That's the end, I guess."
*Kakei, a sweet and innocent smile on his face (in Kazahaya's opinion, it was a devious and indecent one): "Good morning, Kudou-kun, Rikuo-kun."
*Rikuo, tying Kazahaya's apron: "Hey."
*Kazahaya (mixing diapers and cough syrup in the same aisle): "GOOD MORNING!"
*Kakei, a little worried: "Is everything alright, Kudou-kun?"
*Kazahaya, dropping all he had in his hands: "EVERYTHING'S ALL RIGHT, KAKEI-SAN!"
*Rikuo, dispirited: (sighing noise)
*Kakei, folding his arms: "You seem a little... agitated?"
*Saiga, suddenly appearing, hugging Kakei from the back: "I bet you two did some depraved things on this holiday night, huh boy?"
*Kakei, touching Saiga's face with delicate fingers: "Oh, is that true Kudou-kun?"
*Saiga, hugging Kakei tigher: "Of course it is, take a look on Rikuo's guilty face! And see how the boy's face is red!"
*Rikuo: (impassive)
*Kakei: "Oh God..."
*Kazahaya, completely lost: "AH! I... AH! NO! NOOOO! I DIDN'T! DIDN'T! EXCUSE ME!"
*Kakei, puzzled: "Well Saiga, he got embarrased."
*Saiga: "I knew it! They might have done something very kinky..."
*(Kazahaya's cries and the sound of things falling can be heard far away)*
*Rikuo, collecting diapers from the ground: Long day.
*
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