Hello, lovely people! I'm back with a new story, once again. You may notice the title is oddly similar to my ongoing story called "Thoughts of a Graduate" and that's because it's a sequel of sorts. Kind of. Maybe. No, not really. Basically, this first chapter was intended to be the third installment in "Thoughts of a Graduate" but I realized that it's not very Haruka-centric and is focused more on the Kou x Haruka pairing. The realization led me to create a separate fic consisting of short stories and drabbles about the Kou x Haruka pairing. So, now I have "Thoughts of a Graduate" that is more focused on Haruka and "Thoughts of a Rei and a Graduate" that is more focused on Kou x Haruka. I can tell that I will have a grand old time working on these two stories and writing cute, fluffy drabbles. ^o^
Not much else to say yet and I hope you enjoy this first chapter filled with Kou x Haruka fluff and cuddling.
Series: Monochrome Factor
Pairing: Kou x Haruka
Warnings: Yaoi/Shounen-ai (boy x boy relationships), Shota (a young adult man with a young teenage/pre-teen boy), fluff (it can be deadly, I assure you), and thunderstorms (they're very intimidating, but also cool).
Disclaimer: I do not own Monochrome Factor or its characters in any way. They all belong to Kairi/Kaili Sorano. Just as well, I do not own anything regarding "The Story of an Hour" that is mentioned and all the rights go to Kate Chopin.
The rain continued to fall steadily outside, pounding against the windows of Kou's home and slowly but surely getting faster. Accompanying the rain were cold winds at high speeds that managed to shake some of the old, broken windows on the run-down building. It was chilly inside, despite having everything tightly closed. The reason for that most likely had to do with there being no type of heating device in the Rei's home and bundling yourself up in blankets was the only way to stay decently warm.
Of course, there was also the other alternative of cuddling with somebody and sharing body heat. The two freezing males who resided in Kou's place made the wise choice to take advantage of that method.
Haruka was lying on his back on one of the few purple couches that his older companion owned and said companion was currently lying on top of the boy. Their limbs were entangled and Kou was comfortably in between Haruka's legs, his head resting on the graduate's chest. His arms were wound around the younger male's torso and hugging him gently, completely soaking in the warmth radiating from the adolescent.
It took a bit for Haruka to adjust to the crushing weight on his small body, but it wasn't too bad as long as he didn't move much and stayed relaxed. He felt rather content, even more so when knowing that Kou felt the same, and he was silently reading the book he brought with him that included a collection of various short stories and poems. At the moment, he was reading a short story called "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin.
"Oh, man, I'm getting really sleepy." Kou mumbled, letting out a small yawn that was followed by a sigh and nuzzling closer to Haruka.
Haruka smiled softly and he held his book with one hand to loosely thread his fingers through the elder's black hair. He said, "You can sleep if you want to, Onii-chan. I don't mind."
Kou lifted his head and he flashed the boy a warm smile. Leaning forward, he gave a kiss to Haruka's forehead and trailed his lips down to his nose, giving it a peck. He stopped at the other's mouth, letting his lips linger over it and noticing the faint blush that crept onto the younger's face. "Just don't let me sleep too long, okay? You're also welcome to hit me if I end up suffocating you or anything."
Haruka had been anticipating a kiss and he turned his gaze from Kou's lips to Kou's dark eyes, seeing how incredibly close they were. Giggling a little, he took the initiative and kissed the man sweetly, keeping their lips locked for a mere couple of seconds. He pulled back to find Kou grinning and he replied, "Don't worry, I'll let you know if you're smothering me. Well, you kind of are already, but it hasn't gotten to the point where I feel like death is coming to greet me."
The older of the pair chuckled lowly and kissed Haruka just once more before laying his head down again. He tightened his grip around the boy and sighed pleasantly, "I'm lucky that you provide so much warmth."
The graduate didn't say anything else, just simply smiled and ran his fingers through the Rei's feathery hair. He returned his attention to his book and he continued from where he left off. He read the next two paragraphs in his mind.
She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.
There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.
Somehow, Haruka had been too wrapped up in his previous conversation with Kou and his reading that he didn't hear the storm raging outside. He finally realized how much worse it had become when there was a loud clap of thunder that caused him to jolt slightly in surprise.
Kou was fast asleep, but he unconsciously embraced Haruka harder and that almost immediately put the boy at ease. He was relieved to not be alone during the storm, to know that he had someone who would comfort him if he got scared. Shifting a bit, he started to read as he kept toying with the elder's hair.
How fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.
He wasn't as scared when the thunder struck a second time, but he did flinch and squeeze his hold on the book. Sighing with aggravation, the adolescent reprimanded himself for being frightened and glanced down at Kou's sleeping form. His body was moving up and down lightly, not affected at all by the harsh weather. Haruka wished he could sleep as peacefully as his comrade did, however he had never been a deep sleeper. Having frequent nightmares as he grew up probably didn't help that fact either. He still had nightmares occasionally, which increased for a brief period of time after the madness that occurred with Homurabi and when he returned to Japan, but they had decreased significantly in the past two months. He knew that having Kou consistently be there for him and console him made things a lot better. He was honestly grateful to Kou for being one incredibly good thing in his life.
Watching the man sleep, Haruka took note of how cute Kou looked. It was kind of rare when Kou looked extremely adorable, considering that he normally looked dashingly handsome, and this was one of those times. The youth brushed some strands of hair out of the Rei's eyes and he allowed his fingertips to touch his smooth skin. Haruka was far beyond hiding being madly in love with Kou and he admitted that he was enamored with many of his characteristics. He felt glad that he got to witness Kou's gentler moments in private.
Sinking into the couch, Haruka released a small yawn and his eyes began to hood over. He figured that he could go for a nice nap of his own. As much as he wanted to finish the last bit of the story first, he was having trouble staying focused. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a big deal to discard the book for the time being and finish it later. Right now, a nap seemed very appealing.
Lazily setting his book on the floor beside the couch, Haruka wrapped his arms around Kou's broad shoulders and let out another yawn. Gazing at the fabric on the back of the couch, the graduate's eyes couldn't stay open any longer and they fluttered shut. He listened in silence to the sound of the rain hitting the windows and the soft whirring motion that the fish tank behind the couch made. In barely any time, he had fallen asleep.
The storm was ignored by the sleeping pair and they contently held onto each other while they slept, their bodies moving in-sync with their timed breaths. The book laying on the floor was splayed open, showing the last page of the story.
Some one was opening the front door with a latch key. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.
But Richards was too late.
When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.
And there you have the first chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this and I think I'm getting a bit better at writing drabbles. I'm excited to work on future chapters. This is supposed to be a multi-chapter fic and I'll probably keeping adding to it as long as I come up with scenarios for Kou x Haruka stuff. I'm already constantly brainstorming ideas, so this should last for a while. XD However, you are most welcome to send me suggestions! I'm happy to consider any ideas for Kou and Haruka to be in and see your adorable, fluffy scenarios. Hell, you can even send me some sadder ones if you want to. They'll make me cry, but I need to learn to handle angst and sometimes you need to have a good cry over fictional couples.
Until next time, guys! Take care of yourselves! Ciao!