[Louder Than Words]
"Hey baby, just know you're not alone, and I'll show you, just take my hand, run away from all the stupid things they say."
When Marui got to Niou's apartment, it took all of his might and 'virtuous' patience to survive toeing off his shoes in the mine field Niou called his front door. Niou always kicked his shoes off instead of lining them up; it made the area around the door worthy of being called an Olympic sport.
"Niou," he yelled, shoving the keys Niou had given him into his pocket – they didn't technically live together, though Marui did "sleep" on Niou's couch almost every night.
All he got was a muffled response that sounded like "give me a minute" over the sound of the water in the shower.
It'd been four months since they first started dating, and it was magical. They took things slow, though, and talked about things in a "grown up fashion." They even revealed their relationship to their parents; Niou's family was impartial, and Marui's was a little less impartial, leaning towards the this-is-not-happening side of the funky-shit-my-son-does-meter. But they were happy, and that was enough for them.
Marui walked over to sofa, flopping down. The second his butt hit the cheap leather, his phone rang in his back pocket.
"Hello?" Marui answered, sinking into the sofa.
"It's me," his father said.
Marui froze.
"Hello," Marui said, trying to sound like he didn't want to strangle him through the phone.
"I am calling to remind you that Sato-san is visiting this week, the man whom I was telling you about last week…"
Marui zoned out. When he read a textbook, it was in his father's plain, mono-tone voice. That, or in a British accent. Usually the latter of the two.
"Bunta?"
"Um, could you say that again? Niou's apartment has bad signal."
There was a pause.
"You're at his house?"
"Apartment," Marui corrected. "But, yeah, I am. Now, what were you saying?"
"Nothing. Definitely nothing about Sato-san's beautiful daughter and how marrying into their family would be wonderful for business –"
"Father," Marui said in his textbook reading voice, "I will never marry Sato-san's daughter. I'm with Niou. I practically live with him."
"I know you are still going through this phase –"
"Stop!" Marui yelled. He heard the shower water stop and the curtain being pulled back. "Just stop! It's not a phase and it kills me on the inside knowing that you think it is!"
Marui hung up, tossing his phone half way across the room.
Marui sunk down so far into the sofa that he thought it might swallow him whole. His phone rang, and part of his brain yelled at him to pick it up, but he didn't. He covered his eyes with his palms and heard loud, wet footsteps.
"Your father called?" Niou asked.
"Yes," Marui said softly, turning on his side to see Niou. When he opened his eyes, he saw Niou standing at eye-to-crotch level in just a towel. Bright red, Marui sat up, eyes wide. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Actually, that would be a boner attack, because you're trying to make the blood rush to my face, and then gravity is going to push it down to Marui Jr., and then I'm going to –"
"Marui."
"Sorry. Stress."
"Uh-huh." Niou pressed his lips together, waiting for Marui to rant like he always did.
"My father is a tremendous douche bag. I mean, if you're going to be a douche bag, tremendous is the way to go, but he just makes me so confused! I don't know what to do. I don't know what I want. I don't know anymore."
There was a pause, and Marui felt his stomach sink.
"A gallant llama?" Niou asked.
Marui furrowed his brow, sitting up. "A gallant llama?"
Niou nodded, getting on his knees, folding his arms and resting them on Marui's lap. Resting his head in his arms, Niou looked up at Marui with a goofy grin.
"Yeah. A gallant llama. You look like the person who would want a gallant llama."
Niou smiled. Marui told him a flying gallant llama would be better.
.
Marui worked at Sweet Treats every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after his classes at the university. He served sweet, overpriced frozen yogurt that came in a variety of flamboyantly gay flavors to girls who tried to hit him on him and sickly sweet couples.
He was staring at his psychology book, trying to focus on something about something. It was Halloween and he was stuck in Sweet Treats instead of hanging out with his boyfriend. Life just wasn't fair.
When the bells on the door chimed, he didn't look up. Once the footsteps stopped, he said, "Welcome to Sweet Treats. Happy Halloween. We have a special mix just for today, it's called pum-hon-swirl. It has pumpkin, honey, and vanilla. Would you like to try it?"
Twenty seven times out of thirty, people said yes. Marui didn't get it. It wasn't even that good. It made your poop blue.
Not paying attention whatsoever, Marui didn't realize that it was Niou who had just walked in. Amused, Niou played along, wondering how long it would take for Marui to catch on.
"No thanks. Just a medium strawberry."
"Okay," Marui said, turning the page. "Any toppings?"
With a flirty grin, Niou put a finger under Marui's chin, lifting his face up. "You can be the toppings on my yogurt any day," Niou said, recalling that that line had a certain affect on his boyfriend.
"Pervert!" Marui shrieked, thankful no one else was in the shop. "I thought you were at home watching some movie."
Niou shrugged, pulling his hand back. "I decided to get frozen yogurt."
Marui crinkled his eyebrows, confused. "It's freezing outside. Why would you want frozen yogurt? Besides, it's Halloween! When I was little, I would watch scary movies. A lot. I didn't sleep at all. I guess that's where my insomnia started? Or is insomnia something you're born with? I don't –"
"Marui."
"Sorry…"
"Don't get so nervous," Niou said with a wry sigh. "If anyone should be nervous, it should be me."
"Why?" Marui asked, still confused. "I rant. I have terrible breath in the morning. When I do sleep, I kick, hard. I snort when I laugh. This boy called me a pig once because of it, but I –"
Marui turned red ad shut up, realizing he was ranting.
"Because," Niou said with a calming smile, "you're perfect like that."
Marui ranted about all his imperfections, saying there was no way he was perfect. Niou just sighed and listened, only to realize Marui was better than perfect.
.
Later that Halloween night, Marui showed up at the café, but Niou was nowhere to be seen. But there was a package on the counter that was a little bigger than his head; though present might be a better term. It was wrapped in hunter orange paper, had neon pink ribbon, and a fluorescent yellow bow in addition to the ribbon.
"This box just screams 'Hey, I'm gay!'" Marui mumbled to himself, picking the box up and shaking it.
Deciding to open it, Marui bit through the ribbon, going to town on that present. When he opened up the box inside, he reached into the tissue paper. Then he felt something fuzzy.
"EW!" Marui yelled, pulling his hand back.
A few "oh, shits" later, Niou was rushing in from the back room, holding a towel over the palm of his hand.
"You opened it?" Niou asked, rushing over.
"Why are you holding your hand? Did a werewolf attack you? It is Halloween after all."
Niou shook his head, stopping on the other side of the counter. That's when Marui saw why Niou was holding his hand. Blood.
"Oh my God," Marui said, grabbing Niou's had. "Are you okay? What happened? Was it a vampire? Do we need to call an ambulance? Wait. No. Don't call an ambulance. Those things are expensive. Get on my back. I can piggy back you there. I piggy backed my brother to the hospital once, but my back ended up being more of a problem than his ankle."
Niou's laughter made him stop.
"I'm fine. No vampires involved. I cut myself with the scissors when I was curling the ribbon," Niou said, glancing down at the box.
Marui gave him a blank stare. "You mean… you got me a furry beast?"
"Furry beast?"
Marui nodded, reaching back into the box. "Yeah! I reached my hand inside and felt something fuzzy, and then –" Marui grabbed the object pulling it out. "Oh."
It was a llama about the size of his head with a little cape.
Marui's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God. You got me a freakin' llama. The only that could make this better is-is-is-is-is-"
"Is what?"
Marui bit his lip, setting the llama down. "You," Marui said with a goofy smile. "I want to fly into the sunset on a gallant llama with you and no one else."
Niou reached over the counter, cupping Marui's face in his hands. "Good to know the feeling is mutual," Niou said, leaning down, meeting Marui as he got on his toes.
They kissed. Awkwardly. Marui's bottom lip was in between Niou's lips, and he nearly died when he felt Niou sucking on it like a vampire. The sensation settled in the pit of Marui's stomach like honey. Marui melted, feeling Niou's tongue sweep along his lower lip. It was so wrong, so dirty, so true.
When they parted, Niou reached across the counter, picking Marui up by his underarms. With a few awkward kicks to the stomach, Marui was sitting on the counter, legs around Niou's waist, arms around his neck, lips sealed.
A kiss. That's all it took. Whenever Niou kissed him, Marui was swept clean off his feet and never once was let down. Not that he wanted to get down, really.
Marui knew what he wanted, even if his father didn't agree.
He wanted Niou.
A/N: Happy Halloween! I know this wasn't Halloween-like, but it's better than nothing.
