"Eiri, let go! You're hurting me!"
The tone was one of panic, and the moment Shuichi said those words, Eiri stopped and glanced at the lithe singer. Pain filled the younger man's eyes and Eiri wondered why . . . until he saw how he held Shuichi's wrist.
It had twisted back slightly from the way Eiri had grabbed it, and he could see a large bruise starting to form. Immediately, he let go and averted his eyes.
'What the hell is wrong with me?' he wondered, automatically reaching for his cigarettes and lighter. His hands shook as he did. He didn't like it when he hurt Shuichi, intentionally or not. He especially hated to cause the vocalist any physical pain. Abuse was often hard to overcome, though the physical wounds always healed.
However, he had never felt such anger and jealousy before, not even when Shuichi dressed provocatively for stage performances. Something had caused this particular occasion to be different, though, and Eiri couldn't say what. Perhaps it had been because of that moron, Sakuma Ryuichi and his close proximity to Shuichi . . .
"Eiri, are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that, baka," he growled, turning back to face the singer. "You're the one who – "
Slender fingers brushed against his cheeks and a warm smile filled his vision. Shuichi held such a tender expression for him that Eiri cut himself off and wondered how the hell he'd gotten so lucky to find someone like the vocalist. He felt loved and undeserving of that love. He also wanted to hang onto it for the rest of his life. Eiri was selfish like that, and he knew it.
"I'm fine now," Shuichi murmured. "Promise."
His lover's smile grew warmer and Eiri's lips were enveloped by Shuichi's in the gentlest of kisses.