AN: Here is Chapter 3. I don't know why it's taking me so long to update this story and the other one I've been working on, but this time it definitely had to do with the fact that I was too lazy to find a BetaReader. This chapter is not Beta'd otherwise it probably would have been another week or so before it got posted. Oh, and I'd also like to send my gratitude to Kai-senpai for helping me with the Beta-thing ('cause I'm a retard, and a lazy one at that). Here you go.
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 Yaoi and shounen-ai. This reading material is for specific audiences. If you don't know what yaoi or shounen-ai are, I suggest you look them up on Wikipedia before continuing.
Pairings: ShinoShin
Summary: Two years after graduation, Sawada Shin is still pining for his love. Someone decides the throw a wrench in his heart and send his mind spinning.
Disclaimer: Um... based on something that's not my original, so I take no responsibility for anything.
--
Shinohara was in the bathroom. He had showered and dressed and was drying off his hair. The towel was draped around his neck when he walked out to the living room. He looked over to the sofa and raised a brow. Shin wasn't there. He took a few more steps and heard some rustling in the kitchen.
Shin was standing in front of the refrigerator. There wasn't really anything in there he wanted to eat at the moment so he huffed and shut the door. When he turned around he saw a familiar looking man. The man was freshly showered so his hair was a bit damp and messy. There was a towel draped over the man's shoulders, which were covered in a plain white t-shirt and the man's bottom half was clad in a pair of loose fitting blue jeans.
Shinohara stared back at the redhead. Why was Shin staring at him like he'd never seen him before? He shifted his eyes to break the light tension and pulled the towel from his shoulders.
"Um… where should I put this?"
Shin blinked a few times and tried to organize his thoughts. He'd almost never seen the lawyer in anything but a suit and tie. He looked really good like that. "There's a hamper at the end of the hall."
The brunette nodded and walked back down the hall. He heard Shin call from the kitchen.
"There's not much to eat here unfortunately and I'm getting a bit hungry. How about you?"
Shinohara walked to the living room window and scanned the view. "It appears to have stopped raining so heavily. Would you like to go somewhere to eat?"
The boy shrugged and walked to the couch. He sat down on the arm and leaned back on the wall. "We could order in."
"That's fine. Get whatever you want, it'll be my treat." Shinohara turned and sat on the other end of the couch.
The redhead walked to his kitchen and placed a call. It only took a few minutes for him to order and hang up and he turned back to the living room. He looked to the dark haired man sitting on his couch and leaned against the doorway sliding his hands into his pockets.
"I ordered ramen. It should be here in about 30 minutes or so."
The man on the sofa nodded. They both looked a bit confused and uncomfortable. Shinohara wasn't really sure what he should say or do, or even if he should. He realized he didn't really know much about the kid outside the Ooedo house, so he started with a question he thought was simple enough.
"When was the last time you had a home-cooked meal?" He looked at the redhead in the doorway.
Shin smirked and dropped his eyes to the floor. "My friend's mother had me over for dinner a little while ago. Before that, I can't remember. I've been living on my own for so long I've gotten used to ordering in and microwave meals." He sighed and walked over to the sofa, then sat down on the arm opposite the older man.
"That's unfortunate," the man replied.
Shinohara watched the boy move. He was almost beautiful. The boy gave off an aura of cool nonchalance and that made Shinohara want him even more. It was a very unusual feeling for him. Was it really alright for him to be feeling that way? Shin was much younger than he, not to mention the fact that they were both men. And for that matter, what was going to happen tomorrow? Would Shin come after him again? If he did, would the older man allow it?
The lawyer's mind was racing with questions but decided to think about it after he got home. There was no point in self-analysis with a major adversary all but staring him in the face. He exhaled audibly and wiped his clammy hands on his legs.
"Why do you ask?" the man heard from the other end of the world, it seemed.
He turned to Shin. "What?" The lawyer had forgotten something.
"About the home-cooking. Why did you ask me that?" The redhead looked curiously to the brunette. The lawyer looked young and a bit confused... it was so... adorable.
The man shrugged. "It was just a question. Why?" He turned to meet the stormy grey eyes.
The boy shrugged back and replied playfully, "It was just a question."
They stared at each other and both smirked. Shin slid down onto the couch from the arm and grabbed the remote control to his TV. They needed something to fill the awkward silence. He flipped through the channels for a bit and came to rest on a police drama.
"These shows always make me laugh," the plain-clothed lawyer said.
Shin looked to him briefly and smiled. "Why's that?"
"Well, it's never really that simple from any angle of a case."
"What do you mean?"
"In reality, one or more of the three parties involved has a significantly more difficult time with their involvement. With the criminal, it's concealing or destroying evidence properly, with the police and detectives, it's collecting good useable evidence, and with the lawyer, it's convincing the right people. It's never as easy as they show on television."
"Is this what you do in your spare time?"
"What?" The lawyer turned to the boy.
"Watch shows like this and analyze them for inaccuracies."
Shinohara smirked and turned back to the TV. "I don't really get too much spare time, so I don't like to waste it on trivial things like this."
"That's unfortunate."
They looked to each other again and chuckled. Shinohara turned back to the TV and pulled some cash from his pocket. The food would be arriving shortly and he wanted to be prepared.
Shin's eyes hadn't left the lawyer. The man's dark hair fell gracefully over his face. The tips of his bangs brushed seductively over his dark eyes. His lips looked enticingly full and Shin bit his bottom lip. It took all he had in him to refrain from attacking the man again. He turned back to the screen.
"So what do you do in your spare time when you get some?"
"I try to spend as much time with my family as I can. They live pretty far from here, so I don't see them too often."
The redhead nodded and the doorbell rang. Both men stood. Shinohara handed the younger man his cash and headed toward the bathroom. Shin took the money and answered the door.
When he got to the bathroom, Shinohara felt his suit and decided it was dry enough to fold and bring home to be cleaned. He picked up the dress shirt he'd worn and smiled in reverie. As he ran his fingers down the side that formerly held a column of buttons, he remembered... Shin ripping his shirt open... spinning the boy's back to him and clutching it to his chest... slamming him down onto the table and fucking him... falling back into the chair while still inside... Shin grinding on down on top of him... running his fingers through that fiery red hair... holding the boy in his arms and kissing him deeply when they had finished...
His smile widened and he folded the shirt and dropped it into his duffel bag. He turned toward the mirror and caught a glimpse of the colorful remnants from the love tap Shin had given him earlier. It didn't hurt too much when he rubbed his fingers over it, but still looked pretty bad.
"The food's on the table."
The lawyer turned to the doorway and saw the redhead staring back at him. "How long have you been standing there?"
The boy smiled and headed back to the kitchen. "Long enough."
Shinohara grabbed his bag and followed.
"So what did you tell them about that bruise?" asked the redhead as he seated himself by the food.
The older man set down his bag by the couch and joined Shin at the table. "I told them I slipped on some water in the kitchen and caught my chin on the table on my way down."
The boy smirked and spoke with a devious tone. "They didn't believe you, did they?"
"Of course not."
"But they didn't ask questions, either."
"Of course not."
--
"What happened yesterday?"
Shin walked into Ooedo house and was immediately barraged with questions from Ooshima. He looked to the young chief and bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. I had a family emergency and had to leave."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Ooshima stared the redhead down.
Shin raised his head and brow to the man. His acting skills with this group of men were superb. The boy didn't know a thing. "What happened?"
It was publicly known that Shin disliked the lawyer so Ooshima tried to be respectful of the lawyer's pride. "Sensei looks like someone sucker-punched him in the jaw."
The innocent-looking grey eyes widened. "Really?"
The young chief's scrutinizing glare narrowed. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
The innocent eyes softened to a look of hurting. "With all due respect, Young Chief, I'm not that stupid. I may not really like the guy, but that is no reason for me to hit him."
Ooshima raised a brow, but didn't move otherwise. His eyes seemed to soften a bit.
Shin continued. "Is he alright, at least?"
The older man turned and looked off into the distance. "He's got a big damn bruise on his face and looked a bit shaken, but I'd say he's fine. He said he slipped in the kitchen and hit the table."
The redhead smirked and walked to the sofa to sit down. "Idiot."
"What was your emergency?" He took a step toward the back door.
"My friend's mother had to be taken to the hospital," Shin said and dropped his head.
"She ok?"
"Dehydration. She'll be fine."
"Good."
When the young chief was satisfied, he left. Shin sighed lightly and smiled. Whether the man believed him or not was irrelevant. All that mattered was they weren't really asking questions. Shin didn't want to find out what might happen if they were to learn the truth.
--
It had been a few days since Shinohara had seen the young redhead and he couldn't really get his mind to focus. The day after he'd been to Shin's apartment, he had gotten more work done than usual so it wasn't really that big of a deal that he couldn't really concentrate. He was concerned when he got to Ooedo house later that day and the boy had already left. It was unusual for Shin and the lawyer was worried the boy didn't want to see him anymore.
He'd been thinking about the kid since that day and when his mind wandered to those events at the apartment, he smiled and rubbed his fading bruise. He wasn't sure what to make of it, though. The kid was nice when he wanted to be, cute when he wanted to be and incredibly smart. Was he starting to like him, or was it simply infatuation stemming from the other day?
Shinohara was sitting at his desk when his cell phone started to vibrate. He welcomed the distraction from his thoughts and looked to the screen. He was receiving a text message from a number he didn't remember saving to his contact list. The number glared back at him and he read the message:
'Come see me later?'
Shinohara raised a brow. It had to be a wrong number. The man ignored it and he vibrated again about five minutes later. The new message read:
'Well?'
The lawyer rolled his eyes. Clearly the mystery person was unaware of the misunderstanding. He sighed and messaged back:
'I'm sorry you have the wrong number.'
He set his phone down and sighed. Ten minutes after his reply, his phone received another text. He looked to it irritated. This wasn't going to end easily.
'This isn't Shinohara?'
What the hell? He didn't give anyone his cell number other than the Kuroda family and they wouldn't do anything like this. His eyes were wide and he stared at the message. It was creepy and he finally worked up the nerve to respond.
'Who are you?'
He stared at the screen waiting for a new message.
'Sawada'
He heaved a sigh mixed with annoyance and relief.
'How did you get this number?'
'I called my phone from yours while you were showering the other day.'
The lawyer rolled his eyes again and smiled. It was cute he had to admit, so he replied:
'Could you let me know next time, please?'
'My name didn't come up?'
'No just the number. Should it have?'
'I thought I saved that number under my name.'
'You didn't.'
'Oops.'
Shinohara chuckled a bit. His mind was at ease and he smiled a bit fuller.
'So will you come see me later?'
'When's later?'
'Whenever you're up for it.'
'We'll see.'
--
About a month had passed since Shin clocked the lawyer in the face and their relationship had continued. They were frequently at Ooedo house together and the boy would give the lawyer assistance when the man asked for it. They would sit in an open room for whole days at a time occasionally and let the tension between them build.
The first to leave was usually Shinohara. He would go to his office to organize and prepare for the next day and, if he were up to it, he would pay the boy a little visit on his way home. They tried to interact normally when they were around people, and if anyone noticed a change in either of them, no one said anything.
It was about four o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. Shinohara had already left for the day and the young redhead was finishing up some things he told the lawyer he'd have ready for him for Friday. The boy's leg started to vibrate and he pulled his phone from his pocket. The conversation read:
'Join me for dinner tonight?'
'I have plans with my friends.'
'What time are you meeting them?'
'Around eight.'
'Dinner shall be at six then.'
'See you then.'
Shin closed his phone and resumed his preparation. He started to think. He'd never been to Shinohara's place before. They were always at Shin's. He wondered what the man had planned for him.
When he finished, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "I'm leaving. I'll see you all tomorrow."
Yamaguchi poked her head out and said, "You're leaving so soon?"
Shin raised a brow. Did she really want him to stay? "Yeah, why?"
"You usually stay longer, that's all." She walked towards the door and stood next to him.
"I'm going out with the guys tonight and I wanted to rest a bit first."
She leaned toward him. "Tell them I said hi, will you?"
He nodded and waved as he walked out. "Sure. Later."
As he walked home, his thoughts migrated toward the tall, fair-skinned, dark-eyed lawyer. The man was always on his mind. There was no question why Yamaguchi felt the way she did about him.
He was halfway home before he realized how out of character she had been acting before he left the house. She walked right up to him and leaned in real close. It was almost like…
"Shit…" he said aloud and stopped in astonishment. She was trying to flirt with him. Had he really been so infatuated with Shinohara that he'd forgotten about her? Were they being that obvious?
No, it couldn't be. If that were the case, someone would have said something to one or both men. He'd have to be more careful around her. Now the question was, if she made a move, what was he supposed to do?
When he got to his apartment he messaged the lawyer for directions and changed his clothes. He checked himself over quickly in the mirror. The face in the glass stared back at him and seemed to say, "You are a man of three lives and none of them should ever cross paths."
He heaved a sigh and headed out for dinner.
--
Shinohara was in the middle of stir-frying a pan full of vegetables when he heard a knock at his door. He wiped his hands on the towel draped over his shoulder and turned the burner on the stove down before he answered. He hadn't cooked for anyone other than himself in a very long time, but he knew what the boy liked.
He pulled the door open and smiled. "Did you find me alright?"
The redhead nodded. "You live in a real swanky area, you know that?"
The lawyer blushed and stepped aside to let the boy in. He eyed up the redhead as he shut the door, taking in the whole package that was Sawada Shin. He was wearing a long sleeved grey t-shirt with a soccer ball in the upper left corner and pair of faded blue jeans. He really was gorgeous.
Shin took a few steps into the lawyer's apartment and immediately felt out of place. There was expensive looking furniture and electronics all over the place. It reminded him a bit of his father's house. He took off his shoes and jacket and turned to Shinohara.
The man was staring at him with a funny little smile on his face and Shin blushed. "What?"
The lawyer hung up his guest's jacket and smirked. "You look a little intimidated, that's all."
"You have a really nice place. Do you mind if I look around a bit?"
"Help yourself. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes."
Shinohara walked back to the kitchen and Shin casually wandered around the living room. He looked at the photographs on the walls, smiled and slid his hands into his pockets. The man looked happy in all but one of them.
The photograph was probably twenty years old or more. A very young Shinohara was standing in front of a woman who looked about fifty or so years older than him. The woman was smiling happily and had her arms draped over the young lawyer's shoulders. Shinohara was looking off to the side and wore an expression of utter disgust.
The man was beautiful even as a child. He looked like a porcelain doll. His skin looked flawlessly smooth, his hair looked fluffy and soft, and his eyes… they were still as intoxicatingly mysterious so many years later.
"That's my grandmother and me on my eighth birthday."
"She's pretty." Shin could almost feel the man standing behind him. He was so close… that once beautiful child, now a breathtakingly beautiful man. He wanted desperately to feel that man's body pressed to his.
"She was. Unfortunately she had terrible taste in clothing. The shirt I'm wearing was a gift from her, so my mother made me wear it for the picture."
"That explains the look on your face." He smirked and turned around. He didn't realize just how close the man was to him.
Shinohara caught Shin's lips with his own when the boy turned from the wall. The two held that position and the lawyer felt a hand on his waist. He ran his fingers through the red hair, and then brushed them over Shin's cheek. Their lips parted slowly and they smiled to each other.
"Dinner's ready."
The lawyer led Shin to the dining room and Shin paused. The small table was dimly lit with candles and there was a single rose in a tall thin vase in the center. He was confused and Shinohara saw that when they sat down.
"Don't get the wrong idea. My dinner table normally looks like this, only the candles usually aren't lit."
The boy looked around the table and then to the man across from him. "Why did you do all this?"
"You said before that you rarely get to eat home-cooking. I thought it would be a nice change of pace for you, and I haven't had company for dinner in years."
"That's really pathetic."
A balled up napkin bounced gently off Shin's face from the older man's hand and the two smiled playfully at one another. They talked lightly over the meal teasing and goofing on each other happily for about thirty minutes. When they'd both finished, Shinohara stood and cleared the table.
"Do you want some help?" Shin asked as he followed the man to the kitchen.
The older man tossed a dishrag to the redhead and said, "You can dry for me."
The boy looked to the towel in his hand, then to the brunette at the sink washing dishes. He took a quick look around the rest of the room and raised a poignant brow. "You have all this nice furniture and expensive-ass electronics but no dishwasher?"
Without turning to the boy, the man replied, "It keeps me grounded."
"I'll bet." Shin walked to the sink and stood beside the man. He seemed to be drying at the same rate the older man was washing. When Shinohara passed him the last dish, their fingers brushed each other's. Shin quickly dried it and placed it in the strainer.
He dried off his hands then placed the towel over the brunette's hands and dried them as well. They leaned into each other and pressed their lips together passionately. They wrapped their arms around each other and opened their mouths. They kissed slowly and passionately, and Shinohara felt a hand under his shirt. The fingers were brushing up his back slowly and the man pulled away.
"Come with me," the man whispered into Shin's ear. Shinohara took the younger man's hand and led him down the short hall to his bedroom. He walked over to the window in the center of the far wall and pulled the drapes.
Shin was a bit surprised at how plain the room was. There was a dresser and closet to the right and a bed with a lamp and clock on a night table to the left. There was nothing else, no stereo, no television… just those few items. He thought of his apartment and how similar the two homes were.
Shinohara turned from the window and saw the redhead approaching him. He smiled and their lips met again. He placed a hand on the boy's back and the other on his cheek and walked him slowly back to the bed.
The backs of Shin's legs hit the foot of the bed and he sat down without breaking away from the other man. He crawled onto the bed pulling the brunette with him. His arms tightened around the muscular back when Shinohara climbed on top of him.
Before the boy was on his back completely, the lawyer glided his hands up the lean sides and lifted the shirt from the boy's upper body. He tossed the shirt aside and laid soft kisses down the smooth hard chest. He felt fingers at the hem of his own shirt. As Shinohara kissed lower and lower, the hem moved higher and higher.
When he felt Shinohara at the top of his pants, Shin pulled the man's shirt over his head and dropped it next to the bed. The soft lips traveled back up Shin's body and met his. The boy sat up a bit and gently rolled the man onto his back. The young hands found the closure to Shinohara's jeans and released it.
The lawyer's pants and underwear were being pulled off and he moaned a bit into the younger man's mouth. Both garments were pushed from the end of the bed and Shin's lips traveled down to the man's growing erection. Shinohara moaned a bit more when the boy started sucking, but didn't let him stay down there too long.
The redhead was being pulled away from the member by his arm. His lips met the lawyer's and he was rolled over. The brunette dragged his tongue slowly down Shin's body while his hands worked at the belt and pants. Shin felt wet heat on his penis and his pants were discarded. The heat went away and the man's face met Shin's.
Shin noticed something different in Shinohara's eyes as they looked at each other. It was comforting as they ran their fingers through each other's hair. Shinohara pulled a condom from his beside table and Shin applied it for him, their eyes never leaving the others. The man leaned down connecting their lips again and took the boy gently, tenderly.
It felt different than before, somehow… like they were more connected. Their mouths were together more than usual and they seemed to move a bit more synchronized.
Shinohara guided the boy's knee up to his chest and both climaxed shortly after. They had their lips together when they released and Shin's arms were holding tight to the man on top of him. Shinohara kissed across the boy's damp face and down his neck. He needed to catch his breath. There was labored breathing at his hear and then a faint whisper.
"I love you."
Shinohara smiled, but didn't respond. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear those words or not, so he ignored it. His lips traveled along Shin's shoulder and he absently glanced at the clock.
"You should get going."
Shin's eyes widened immediately and his heart stopped. "What? Why?" He didn't say those words out loud, did he? He must have. Why else would the lawyer have said that?
The older man pushed himself off the redhead and smiled to him. "You said you were meeting your friends at eight, right? It's already after seven thirty."
The confused boy turned to the clock on the little table and sighed dejectedly, but somewhat relieved. "Damn."
Shinohara pulled out and rolled off the boy. He grabbed his shirt from the floor and wiped off the soiled chest. The boy sat up and got to his feet. He dressed quickly and walked across the hall to the bathroom.
"Can you toss this in the hamper for me, since you're in there?" He threw the shirt to the bathroom and pulled on his jeans. Shinohara watched the redhead from the bedroom doorway. He was smoothing out his hair and drying his face.
Shin's eyes caught the man's as he exited the bathroom. "What?" he asked as he walked down the hall to the front door. He was desperately trying not to smile, but wasn't sure if it was working.
"Nothing. I'll see you on Friday?" he asked and reached for the doorknob.
Before the man could open the door, Shin kissed him for the final time that night. It was long and chaste. He let the man open the door and walked out. "Yeah, Friday."
TBC...
--
La! There you go. As always, for the three or four of you that actually keep reading this, reviews and critique will be pondered and appreciated.
And in case you're wondering, there are chapters to come (yes it's plural). Thank you again.