Shadowless
by "Vi", the Symphonic Mess
Disclaimer and Notes: These characters don't belong to me. I am only an avid gamer who loves them strongly and enjoys playing with them both on the screen and in my writings. I get nothing out of it besides the joy of writing, squealing and generally discussing with others how amazing they are. The continuation of this story is dedicated to my reviewer, AirGuitaringKlavier. Thank you so much for your kind words. I really didn't think I'd get anyone to review on this story. It looks like this will be making my 8059 story take the backseat. ;; And they still managed to make it into this story! The song mentioned is "Oretachi no Joy", Yamamoto and Gakudera's character song from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Love it, love them, and love this. Or at least I hope. Enjoy.
Middle of the night, Duo felt the nagging feeling of being unaware of his surroundings, which he disliked. It was too tight, he realized with a start, trying to struggle against the feeling of being trapped in the dark. Pressing against his back, was a firm, but cushioned barrier and in front of him, something warm and moving, trapped him in, pushing him further down into the fluffy material. Stifling a growl, he reached up to do what he did best: fight it off. Then the fog lifted, and he remembered the ridiculous circumstances that left him on the couch, with Shen's arms draped over him, his pack pressed into the couch cushions. He was still thinking about whether or not he should remove the arms that possessively trapped him in, just to get something to satisfy his late night hunger. Seeing as he had fallen asleep suddenly last night without eating, he was starving.
But when he looked at the soft, dreaming expression on Shen's face, he realized that he didn't have the power to do that to him. He probably never did. The arm that had been so still a second ago suddenly began tracing patterns in the cover of his hair, which, to his disdain, he realized that Shen had let down without so much as a word of permission from his mouth. Then again, when the memory returned to him, he realized that now probably wasn't the time to go about fighting with Shen. After all, he had worked so hard to contain his anger. He hadn't even lectured. Not because he was any more okay with it than he usually was. The slightest things made him upset when it came to Duo's well being now and while it usually didn't get in the way, it sometimes felt a bit, well, stifling. Until he remembered why that was, that is. As soon as he remembered that it was an act of love, he couldn't really fight a reason like that.
Yet it was getting worse and worse over time. Duo thought it would hit it's worst when Shen finally admitted his strong feelings of love for Duo, and yet, it didn't peak there; it only seemed to continue upwards. Was there anything beyond love? He didn't have the right to speculate on that. Only, he knew that he disliked the darkness around him and he hated being rendered helpless. It was a feeling of complete evil he got, when the world reached it darkest, and even the dark shadows were eaten by the swamping darkness. And the only thing that could alleviate it was light. In this place, right now, he couldn't see any. The windows were still covered, blocking out the moon and trapping in the darkness, it seemed. Duo shook his head to remove those thoughts. After all, those kinds of thoughts were pointless. And Shen's hands were becoming more and more distracting, leaving a pleasant tingling sensation wherever they touched him. It wasn't a fleeting feeling, but rather one that seemed to burn into him. It left him wanting to touch Shen too, if only to make sure he was still there; not engulfed by the dark, dark night.
Finding his right arm had gone to sleep under the weight of his upper body, he reached out with his left, playing with the small blond strands that stuck out in all directions. He chuckled lightly, thinking of how even his hair seemed to suit him so well. Just like his hair, Shen seemed to be going in all directions; sometimes you never knew what would come next. It was exhausting to be kept guessing constantly, but at least things never became boring. As long as he was around Shen, he didn't have to worry about getting lost in his thoughts too far. With Shen there was always something new to look at; never enough time to dwell too long. As long as Shen was well and moving, he kept things light and energetic. He wasn't always right, and some of the things he did were just plain stupid, but after it was said and done, he was still the same well-meaning Shen. Or at least that was the image that would always come to mind for him. There had been a time he could have seen more darkness in Shen's personality. But now it was almost impossible.
Now with the way he fought for people. It was the most amazing feeling he could recall; being fought for, and more importantly, considering that it was Shen fighting for him, a warmth swelled up further inside of him and he leaned down, using his hand to trace similar patterns to Shen's own over his cheek. Despite his training, the skin on his face was still soft, unlike that on his hands. But it was all the beautiful, healthy shade. Sighing, Duo wondered if such feelings could be considered healthy on his part. It was like he would consider ripping out his heart or giving up his soul if it was for this person before him. And on counts that sounded foolish. So why did knowing that not change the fact that he would probably do it in an instant if the occasion arose? He mentally kicked himself for thinking such dumb things. It was the darkness; the intimate touches in the shadow-less world they were in, that made these thoughts rise. When the light came back up, he would be thinking straight again.
A small strangled gasp escaped Shen's lips; the warm breath fluttered against Duo's skin, making him shudder involuntarily. It wasn't a bad sound; he didn't frown in the slightest, so he could only wonder what had him making such a strange noise. He looked at his own hand, watching it moving without direction over his skin, letting his nails lightly tease him with a smile on his soft, effeminate face. Being intimate with Shen like this was something dream-like. It was only the dull throbbing in his chest and lungs that reminded him exactly why this situation came to pass, why he was starving, and why Shen was clinging to him; covering him so desperately at this exact time. There didn't appear to be any other reason. It had been the fight; or more specifically, his total failure in regards to that fight, that made this happen. That wasn't so bad. Maybe he wouldn't mind a few more failures in his life. To see the way that his pain effected Shen made warm thoughts surface, and hot, passionate feelings threaten to take down the barriers he set on his heart.
In the darkness, there were words softly whispered in time, by Shen, startling the black haired man, who could only listen, completely enraptured. "The feelings I shoved towards you, when you were acting preposterous and reckless. Now, yes-- with a direct attack-- show you, tell you, that I want us to understand each other, never running away from rains and storms." It was hard to imagine such words coming out in the midsts of sleep, until Duo realized that he was singing. Albeit a little badly, but singing none the less. Probably to some popular, upbeat song that Duo wouldn't know or understand. But the words found a way to settle themselves in his heart, with a feeling that those words were meant for him, repeated, regurgitated or no. Selfishly, he wanted them to be the mirror of Shen's heart; wanted them to be aimed at him; only at him.
It was okay to ask such things, wasn't it? Regardless of goodness, he would continue to ask for that one thing which he could no longer live without. Feeling his stomach churning, he made a scrunched face and begged it silent. It was okay if it hurt a bit. He just wanted to lay here and be. That was enough. "Eh?" Shen groaned, rubbing his eyes, blind in the dark, trying to make out the shape of the man in front of him. "I thought I heard music." Duo smiled lightly, shaking his head.
"I heard it too."