Disclaimer: Gravitation and all things related are © Maki Murakami etc. etc.
Update: 2005.08.24 After a lengthy but careful scrutinization session of the site's Guidelines, I've finally decided to put up the uncut version. Sorry, but I can't help being paranoid, what with all the vultures skulking around...
Author's Notes: I rushed right through this thing, because I didn't want to miss my deadline. Despite the rushing I still missed
it by a day. Tough, I say, I at least finished it. :P Aherm, smut's been cut but we can all use our imagination, right? I do wonder about
the 'broken' heater though... Ma-kun's ingenious set-up? That's for you to decide.
As for:
Feedback - Very much appreciated.
Archive - It would be a dream come true! Just... notify me beforehand, pretty please?
Special Thanks: Dr. Ko (my beta-reader), Jinkouu, who cares my name? (I do, actually), blinkie, Hiro-kun . . . and Silverone (a big thanks for pointing out my little mistake concerning Sakano). Much love to you all!
by Omakase Shimasu
While Ma-kun freshened himself up in the bathroom to get ready for work, Taki busied himself with stacking the morning's dirty breakfast dishes and loading them into the dishwasher.
During breakfast Ma-kun had astounding joy in ripping up his napkin, forming multiple heart-shaped shreds of white paper and leaving them for Taki to find. The brunette gathered the little hearts and opened the trashcan underneath the sink. More of his friend's handiwork could be found there, filling up half the bin in fact. White origami hearts, photos of white chocolate scanned and printed out from the PC, doodles of hearts with little smiley faces, a heart-shaped vanilla-flavored half-eaten candy... The blond apparently wanted Taki to know he loved white chocolates as a gift for a certain occasion. If the situation hadn't involved their current relationship, he would have laughed at the ridiculous image Ma-kun made of himself. Needy and desperate for Taki's affection...
It wasn't that the brunette didn't want to return his friend's affections. It was only the way Ma-kun wanted him to show his love for the blond that made him unwilling...
Taki let the newest additions to the heap escape his grasp and turned. Only to clumsily stumble into the object of his thoughts.
"You're a true heart-breaker, aren't you, Tachi?" Ma-kun pouted.
Taki's retort got cut off by the other's lips, insistent and supple on his. Strong hands snaked around his waist, settling on the small of his back and pressing his body flush against the blond. Without a second thought, Taki closed his eyes and was about to wrap his own hands around Ma-kun's neck to close the final distance. That was until...
Click!
Wide-eyed, Taki broke off the kiss. "What? Ma-kun, what was that?"
Ma-kun grinned and picked up his cellphone from the counter. "Just thought a reminder of this moment was in order," he said in ways of explanation. Flashing the device in Taki's face he added, "You blush such a lovely shade of pink - fits the occasion nicely, wouldn't you say?"
Taki frowned with indignation and looked away from the smirking fool and the incriminating picture. "You're crazy, Ma-kun."
The other only laughed in response, pocketing his cell in the safe confines of his jacket-pocket. Then he pecked Taki on the cheek. "See ya in a few, Tachi. Do wait up for me with dinner, 'kay?" And he was off.
Frowning, Taki followed Ma-kun out in the hall. "Don't think about showing that picture to anyone."
Chuckling, Ma-kun put on his shoes. "Don't worry, any pictures I have are for my eyes alone." The lust apparent in those blue eyes made Taki stop short. His face was burning and he stuttered to come up with a coherent reply to that.
Click!
"Ma-kun...!"
Wide grin. "Bai-bai, sweetheart!" Bang of the door.
Running a trembling hand through his hair, Taki let out a small sigh. "...Ma-kun..."
Sometimes Ma-kun and his behavior could be too much for Taki to handle. The way the blond was so open and willing to talk about his affections towards Taki made the latter feel beyond uncomfortable. Holidays such as Valentine's definitely didn't help in that area. The idiot custom that had a clear line drawn between the sexes and what the public thought of their behavior, it was embarassing for a guy to give another a gift on Valentine's Day, let alone the fact the other being a guy in Taki's case.
...he couldn't deny Ma-kun the gift though, despite his vehement protests. Taki wanted to be able to show Ma-kun he cared, just like the blond and this seemed like as good a start at working on his behavior as any.
Scrap of paper in hand, Taki searched the streets for a name - a small candy store which followed holiday themes such as Valentine's, to be precise. The address and another persistent heart had been another of Ma-kun's obvious hints, but unlike the others this one actually helped him out in ways of information on the gift Ma-kun was so keen on having and where to acquire it.
Halting in front of a little shop that matched the criteria on his note, Taki took a deep breath to steady himself for the challenge ahead. Nobody seemed to be inside at that moment, probably because most people would have already bought their gifts the day before. It made it easier for Taki to enter after having mentally counted to three, all the while scolding Ma-kun to Hell and back for making Taki go through this torment.
Once inside, the smell of chocolate - even while wrapped up nice and neat - was overpowering. The colors white, pink and red dominated the entire interior and after a while made Taki's eyes hurt with the magnificent radiance of it. How the shopkeeper was able to endure it all was a true mystery to the brunette.
Best not wander about too long... Find the stupid candy, pay and retreat back to the safety of the apartment so I can make an early start on ordering dinner... Taki thought, whilst perusing the many shelves and its gay-colored contents.
White chocolate however didn't seem as in demand as the brown-colored variety. Most white-colored candy seemed cheaper than it's counterpart and Taki definitely didn't want that. Besides, he knew Ma-kun loved the way something was wrapped almost as much as the contents itself. A little red bow would be required at the very least.
Having searched through three quarters of the shop without results and a growing headache to add to the torment, the clerk on duty took pity on Taki and asked if he could be of any help, simultaneously offering the newest addition and most-sought after product the shop had to offer.
"'Cupid's Fluid: All-Flavored Chocolate Syrup'?" Taki thought it better not to ask.
The clerk, a young man not much older than Taki himself, who seemed to have a coat hanger stuck in his mouth, nodded and added, "It's been a success all over Japan ecause of the multiple ways you can use it. Plus it's cheaper when you compare the contents of one of these with one of these." He showed first the 'Cupid's Fluid''s big, rectangular box, then a considerably smaller box of common chocolates.
Brown eyes seized up the package and the wrappings around the candy. A silly little blue bear plushie with a silly pink bow. "...aren't there any other packages that have 'normal' colors? And a cat plushie instead of a bear?" Ma-kun loved cats afterall.
"Sure, you want this flavor or...?"
The urge to buy normal brown chocolate just to spite the blond crossed Taki's mind enticingly. But the consequences of such a stunt would be memorable. "White chocolate," he answered instead, tone curt and unable to hide his annoyance. He swore to himself he would never lay an eye on white chocolate after that day ever again.
"Okay, your 'Cupid's Fluid''s coming right up," the clerk announced brightly and disappeared behind the counter.
Taki ran a hand through his hair, grateful for the fact he hadn't been bothered by any embarassing questions as he had previously worried about. Maybe it wasn't as uncommon for men to buy their girlfriends candy afterall.
"A-Aizawa-kun!"
That voice. Sakano-san...
Stiffening, Taki selected a dozen or so choice-swear words and fired them off in his mind, one after another. It figured he would meet up with acquaintances on the day he least expected nor wanted to. Sighing, the brunette turned to face the older man, inwardly relieved it was the producer and not say Shindo Shuichi who had found him shopping for Valentine candy.
"Sa..." Swallow. "Sakano-san." Outwardly his usual arrogance fell - royally - flat. He could clearly see the understanding in Sakano's eyes, even when disbelief was visibly written on the man's forehead.
Taki would get Ma-kun for this. Get Ma-kun good.
It was well past noon, almost lunchtime, when Taki finally made it home again. Safe and sound, away from all the craziness and possible embarassment he would have faced if he had stayed out any longer. The little run-in with Bad Luck's producer had been worse enough. The man had it bad, on some level even more so than Taki, when it came to dealing with relationships and the feelings he had for the man he loved. Being able to relate to something like that made Sakano more tolerable in Taki's eyes. Still, he had his own problems to contend with and didn't have time for meaningless chit-chat.
Besides, the brunette had the feeling he would be seeing a lot more of Sakano, what with Ma-kun being related to the spastic manager's boyfriend.
Taki wearily discarded his shoes and coat in the hallway. He noticed Ken-chan's stuff and vaguely realized he had forgotten to put together his friend's 'dinner' due to his little gift-hunt a while ago. Hopefully Ken-chan hadn't been too out of it to neglect 'dinner' altogether.
Crossing the livingroom and entering the kitchen, Taki looked around for signs of anything having stirred while he had been gone. Nothing. A quick peek into Ken-chan's bedroom however, lessened his guilt a tiny bit. Cartons of left-over takeout sat atop his tall friend's nightstand, tops open and chopsticks sticking out. He resolved to make home-made breakfast the following morning. It was something simple, but it was the least he could do.
Quietly, Taki retreated towards the livingroom and sank into the couch with a loud sigh. Two boxes of 'Cupid's Fluid''s were settled comfortably in his lap, one wrapped up in fancy white paper with a shiny red ribbon tied around it. The other minus the wrap, box in plain view.
Taki hadn't been able to resist buying another package - plain chocolate-flavored, his and Ken-chan's favorite. He had been wondering about those multiple uses ever since the clerk had explained the advantages of this new popular product. You could both heat it up in the microwave to make a nice addition to the all-around beloved ice-cream dessert or put it in the freezer to make your very own chocolate pieces in every shape you preferred.
Hot chocolate seemed pretty good by then. The cold outside had made his fingers freeze since he had accidentally forgotten to bring his gloves. Deciding to test out the product before Ma-kun got back from work, Taki took his box and entered the kitchen once again.
Putting a nice dollop of flexible chocolate into a small bowl, Taki proceeded to experiment with the microwave until he had gotten a scalding hot substance that smelt delicious. Taki then tasted a spoonful of his creation. After the first taste he sighed and closed his eyes in bliss. "Go-od."
Unfortunately he had underestimated the thinness of the chocolate and some of the leftover chocolate dropped from his spoon and into his lap. "Oh dammit, my favorite pair of pants," Taki bemoaned the day's bad luck and regretfully left his dessert to change clothes.
When he opened his shared bedroom door though a great waft of hot air escaped and blasted Taki full force. "What the...?" Stepping into the room, Taki made the immediate comparison to a sauna and had the urge to jump out the window straight back into the cold. His face was already heating up. Without further thought, the brunette discarded his thick navy blue sweater and crossed the room to the heater on the opposite wall.
Once there, Taki gazed from the heater which missed a knob and the aforementioned knob lying a few inches away from his feet. Somehow he got the feeling the knob wasn't supposed to be lying on the floor like that. Picking it up, Taki plopped himself onto the bed and furiously began to struggle with the broken heater and knob. After a few moments of getting nowhere fast, Taki groaned loudly and fell backwards. The heat had affected him already.
I should just change and... maybe take a nap until Ma-kun comes back. I don't feel like doing much of anything though...
Shaking his head, Taki sighed and forced himself to stand. It was a special day afterall and he still had much mental preparing to do to make it all work out. But first, a change of clothes.
He replaced his old shirt with a black tanktop and the pants with one of Ma-kun's too short denim shorts. Regrettably Taki didn't own shorts himself, always having preferred slacks over everything else. It would suffice until he had taken a shower later.
Grabbing his dirtied pants, Taki was intent on throwing it directly into the washing machine until his hand bumped against a lump in one of his pants pockets. Ah, almost forgot. Taki reached inside, taking hold of a thin silk material and pulling it out. It had been an extra with the purchasing of a second 'Cupid's Fluid''s. One-and-a-half meter length of a crimson silk. It felt soft to the touch and fit the Valentine theme well. He had wondered about what to do with it though. The gift he had gotten for Ma-kun had already been nicely wrapped up afterall.
Gazing down at the contrast between the silk and his own skin, a mental image left Taki curious. Always up for a little primping (although he'd never admit that out loud) the brunette walked over to the full length mirror. Wrapping his wrist and arm in a pattern of crimson, he seized himself up in his reflection. Curious, he brought up a piece of the material up to his face and compared it with his hair. I never considered red my color, but...
"Tachi, my Droopy-eyes, you never cease to amaze me."
Wide-eyed, Taki whipped around, back against the mirror and silk clutched between his fingers. Ma-kun, Taki's gift in hand, leant back against a closed bedroom door, a feral smile on his lips. "Two gifts for the price of one. You spoil me! Although..." He advanced, pressing Taki even further back and seized the arm wrapped up in silk. "...it seems someone has done a messy job of wrapping up my second and most lovely present of all."
Taki anticipated the kiss and didn't shy away. Instead he welcomed the other and didn't mind at all when the blond started to manipulate his body towards their bed, silk being wrapped securely around his skin by strong and capable hands.
"Ma-kun... be my Valentine?"
"Of course, Tachi."
"I... Ma-kun, love you."
Shocked silence. "...love you too, Tachi!" Little smirk. "Now shut it."
"Mmph!"
"And let me unwrap my beautiful presents."
Ma-kun enjoyed unwrapping his gifts as much as the actual gift itself. He had control over the situation, uncovering bit by bit of his pretty possession. All at his sweet, sweet leisure.
Taki received first-hand experience at Ma-kun's skilled hands that night. It was a memorable experience indeed. A memorable and very private experience.
Click!
The following day, nimble fingers added four pictures to a blank photo-album page.
The first showed Taki, naked and bound spread-eagle to a bed, a silken white blindfold firmly in place. Pure black sheets barely covered caramel thighs and genitals. A bow made of familiar crimson silk wrapped neatly around the slim throat.
The second picture had Ken-chan, keeled over on the floor, a blush prominent on his still features and drool slipping down the corner of his mouth.
A third picture revealed the main reason for Ken-chan's state: Taki, cross between a scowl and a pout in place, sat huddled on the center of the bed, sheets pooled around his naked frame. Sheets which sported multiple spots that resembled semen, but were in fact 'Cupid's Fluid' smudges, left over from Ma-kun's rather enthusiastic play the day before.
The last picture had been a donation from Ken-chan, made the morning after and right before the guy had had his unfortunate 'accident'. It showed Ma-kun and Taki snuggled up together on the big bed. The blond, hair in a messy ponytail, holding the smaller brunette protectively against him, brown mop tucked beneath his chin.
Every picture had been marked with a white marker, a heart and arrow positioned at every upper right corner.
At the very bottom of the page, a scription was written:
" Happy Valentine's, Tachi "
FINI