Breathing Patterns
(My Hotel Year)
[You'll never know, how you sing while you're asleep. And I'm listening...I'm listening]
For as long as he could remember, Roppi had never had an easy time going to sleep. No matter how much he tried, he always just tossed and turned restlessly in the bed. Whatever sleeping pills he had been given must have really been strong!
As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was unconscious. He had a dreamless sleep as always. Even in his own mind, he hated showing emotion. He never truly dreamed anymore. So he was immensely dissatisfied when he was brought back to the waking world while it was still dark outside.
Blinking irritably, he tried to look around the dark room and find the source that had woken him up. His crimson eyes settled on the form on the other bed in the room, across from him. The lump under the covers was whimpering and tossing about. Sighing, Roppi rose from his own bed and made his way to the bumbling blonde.
"Tsuki!" he hissed, hitting the lump. There was no response.
"Tsuki!" he tried again, hitting harder this time. Still there was nothing.
Roppi observed the male below him, mildly interested. What on Earth was he dreaming about? He smoothed out the covers with his hands, and brushed wild blonde locks off the sleeping man's face. Tsuki leaned into his touch, still whimpering. The raven smirked, genuinely interested now. He ran his hand across the blonde's face, gently brushing his fingers across the skin. Tsuki's hand reached up and found his.
Roppi was shocked with surprise, rooted to where he stood. Tsuki's hand intertwined with his, the large thumb brushing over the spot that had driven him crazy earlier. The raven hissed, drawing in breath as quietly as he could. He couldn't understand why such a simple touch sent such electricity through his body, starting at his hand. His mind went hazy as the blonde continued to caress his hand in his sleep.
"Hah...T-Tsuki...Stop..." he whimpered, hating how submissive his voice sounded. The blonde seemed to smile slightly in his sleep, as he tugged the hand closer to his face, inhaling the intoxicating scent that belonged to his roommate.
"Well, his dream must've improved."
Roppi was about to pull away when the blonde poked his tongue through his lips, licking the center of his hand. The electricity doubled.
"Nnnnn...ah...Stop..." he mumbled pitifully as he was pulled closer. One of his knees was on the bed beside the blonde, the other leg was hanging off into the floor. He had to resist the sudden urge he had to fall beside the sleeping man and share his personal space.
"Rrrrrpppiiiii..." Tsuki slurred, inhaling again.
The raven's eyes widened. Was the tall moron dreaming of him? Why would he be? Finally, he successfully managed to pull his hand away, falling back onto the floor in a heap. He was panting for fuck's sake!
Immediately, the blonde began to whimper again as he groped the mattress looking for the raven's hand. Roppi sighed loudly, and rose to stride to his own bed. He took his red and black jacket from the chest at the foot of the mattress, and crossed the room again. He placed his jacket into Tsuki's grasp.
The blonde inhaled the fabric, wrapping himself around it. His whining stopped abruptly as he buried his face into the black material.
"Is my scent seriously comforting you right now?"
Scowling, Roppi retreated back to the safety of his own bed, away from those magic hands.
The next time he woke up, it was bright outside. He could tell it was still early though. He looked up to see his roommate looming over him, dressed in a red sweater with the same ridiculous scarf around his neck.
"Roppi-san…It's time for breakfast." He whispered.
The raven tried to roll over and tune the man out, but he was damn persistent.
"Hey! You really need to come with me! Afterwards we can go back to the art room and then we can go to group together and then-"
"Just because I'm your new roommate doesn't mean we have to spend every waking moment together, Tsuki." Roppi grumbled into the pillow.
There was a slight pressure beside him as the blonde joined him on the bed, still hanging off the side but severely encroaching into his personal space.
"I…really want you…to come with me…" Tsuki said gently, his hand reaching over to find the raven's.
Roppi sighed loudly, and then turned to face the man, noting how close together their faces were. He didn't miss the blush that was across his bedmate's face.
"Let me get dressed."
Tsuki beamed in response, then hopped off the bed to give him privacy. He stood in the corner, by his own bed, and fumbled with the material around his neck. Then, he looked down at his mass of covers and saw…Roppi's jacket?
How did it get there? Had he snatched it in his sleep? What would Roppi say? Would he think he was a freak? Oh no, no, no! How was he going to hide this? Then his field of vision was invaded by the shorter male, as he strode past him to pick up the jacket.
Tsuki's eyes scanned the raven appreciatively, admiring his…well, everything. He was dressed in a red long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His collar was a very wide v-neck that revealed just the right amount of alabaster skin. The black jeans he had chosen were rather tight, but fitting in just the right way. His arms were bandaged on both sides, all the way up to the elbow. Then, he pulled the jacket on, covering his addiction from all. All except Tsuki. His bright crimson eyes looked up at his roommate.
"Shall we?" he asked, chuckling a bit at his counterpart's flustered gaze.
They walked to the large cafeteria again, though this time it was mostly empty. Roppi realized that it must have been earlier than he imagined, and they were simply awake before anyone else.
"Great. My roommate is an early bird."
They strode to the front of the line. Greeting Simon who immediately promised them sushi and everything else in the world. Roppi got simple eggs and toast. He gazed over at his roommates plate, and saw…
Well, he would say they were pancakes. Or at least they were supposed to be. The once fluffy cakes were currently drenched with so much syrup that they looked like they were trying to float in the sea of stickiness. Then, the blonde had the audacity to ask for more syrup packets. Roppi eyed him steadily as they walked to the same table they had shared the night before.
"You are aware that it is entirely too early for such things. You'll be doubled over in pain by noon when your poor stomach explodes." He hissed to the taller male.
"Eh? No, I eat these all the time! I'm a Heiwajima, our stomachs are made of steel!" Tsuki grinned brightly before he stabbed one of the pancakes. Syrup actually shot out of the damn thing.
Roppi ate in silence, occasionally reaching up to absently scratch his arms. The bandages were horribly itchy. He realized that Tsuki was watching him.
"What?" he mumbled to the large ruby eyes that were fixed on him.
Tsuki flushed darker than before, and hurriedly stabbed another helpless pancake, trying to shrug it off. He shoved almost the whole thing in his mouth, syrup dribbling onto his chin. Roppi sighed again, before he reached up and wiped off the excess syrup with his thumb. He brought the appendage to his mouth, and licked the sweet substance off. If he thought the blonde was red before he had another thing coming. He felt like he was sitting next to a fucking tomato.
"Tsuki, what the hell is wrong with you?" he finally asked.
"N-Nothing!" Tsuki lied, continuing with his sweet breakfast. Eventually though, his gaze returned to the beautiful creature beside him. He watched Roppi bring the fork to his mouth with fluid movements, never spilling a thing. Every now and then he would glance at his arms, and scratch them through his jacket. His hands were enchanting, really. Tsuki found he could marvel at everything the raven did, but those hands were just…perfect.
"Tsuki." Roppi said in an exasperated voice, breaking his thoughts.
"Eh?"
"I need my hands to eat."
Blinking, he looked down and saw that he had, in fact, grabbed the man's hands and were holding them in his own. He released one.
"I-I'm so so-sorry, Roppi-s-san!" he stammered. The raven sent him a very amused glance.
"So you release one of them? You think I'm going to sit here and eat with one hand while you hold the other one all morning?" his voice sounded gentle, but his gaze looked…edible.
Edible? What the fuck was he thinking? Roppi was his roommate! His roommate!
"Y-You…only need one…" Tsuki murmured, his gaze retreating to the safety of his scarf. He heard the other male laugh, but he didn't snatch his hand away.
"Do what you want, Tsuki." He said as he chuckled lightly.
The blonde did just that. He held the wonderful appendage close, tracing his fingertips against the skin. He flipped it over, and heard the sharp intake of breath from his roommate as his fingers ghosted the center of his palm.
"Roppi-san…Does it feel good when I do this?" he asked the smaller male as he repeated the action a little rougher.
"Nnnn…Y-Yeah…" Roppi admitted quietly. Only he remembered how dangerously close the fumbling man had come to being sexually assaulted the night before. Izaya had told him once that most people had "turn-on" spots. Of course the blonde had found one of his. The idiot just had to keep pressing his luck though.
"What about this?" he asked as he rubbed all his fingers simultaneously over the center of the palm.
"Hah…T-Tsuki…" Roppi moaned slightly, ripping his hand free. "We're in public!"
The grin covering the taller man's face was almost in danger of reaching his ears.
"You're saying I can do it when we're in private?"
"What the-"
"No! I never said you could do it at all! Keep your hands to yourself!" and he flicked the blonde's forehead rather harshly. Tsuki just giggled.
They made their way back to the art room, Roppi leading the way this time. He memorized every turn, knowing he wouldn't be able to trust the other male. Once they were inside, Tsuki closed the door and looked hopefully at the raven.
"What do you want now?" Roppi asked irritably.
"I'm gonna paint! You should draw something!" Tsuki smiled as he went to his easel and got his paint ready. Roppi went to a stool behind the tall male, where he could watch. He took the sketch pad that was offered to him, and the graphite pencil. He began to loosely sketch when he saw the first stroke of the paintbrush across the canvas.
He watched as the blonde's expert hands traveled across the white material, decorating it with an assortment of colors. An apartment building was created, along with streets filled with cars. There were even tiny people littering the sidewalks. Roppi stared dumbfounded at the beautiful picture.
"Ikebukuro." He breathed. Tsuki turned to him.
"You recognize it! That's where me and my brother's grew up!"
"I live there too…in a building a little further from the one you painted…" Roppi said quietly. Izaya lived in Shinjuku, but always crossed the damn border to visit.
"You're from there too? There are a lot that are here…but many come from other cities too. This is the biggest psychiatric hospital near here, so many people get sent here." Tsuki explained, rinsing out his brushes in the sink.
"Did…you go to Raira?" Roppi asked the male.
"No. I went to a public school…I had…trouble learning, so…" Tsuki's voice trailed off. "My brother's went there though!"
"Heiwajima…Heiwajima…Of course!"
"Shizuo is your brother, right?" Roppi asked, a grin threatening to tear his face in half.
"Yes! My other brother is named Kasuka. I'm the youngest."
Suddenly, Roppi was doubled over in a fit of laughter.
"Eh? What? Is there paint on my face?" Tsuki whined, skimming his hands over his face.
"My- My cousin hates your brother!" Roppi continued laughing, remembering how many 'I hate Shizuo Heiwajima' lectures he had been forced to endure over the years. "Izaya Orihara."
Tsuki's eyes widened comically.
"I-Izaya is your cousin? Oh…I've heard mean things about him…Shizuo really wants to kill him."
"He probably deserves it. Still, small world, huh?" The raven grinned.
"Y-Yeah…Maybe I should leave your last name out when I tell my brother's of my new roommate?"
"Agreed."
They cleaned up and got ready to leave the room so they could go to group. Tsuki looked down at the still opened sketch book the raven had left behind. He lifted it up to put it back in the cabinet when… He noticed the picture.
It was a drawing of him. He was standing in front of an easel with a concentrated look on his face as he reached to the side for a different color.
Smiling widely, Tsuki ripped it out and put it in his pocket.
[And I'm listening, for my name. For my name.]
Sachi: Sorry for the late update! I've been crazy busy as of late.
Roppi: There's no excuse. You've been working on your damn Shizaya fic!
Sachi: Well…It's just m-more popular right now…and I- I could only update one at a time and…
Tsuki: Don't you love us too? *puppy face*
Sachi: *Rips out heart* Just take the damn thing!
Roppi: Review for the next chapter. It'll have group therapy and a little insight on everyone's mental conditions.
Tsuki: And the more reviews we get, the closer the romance part comes in!
Sachi: *Still bleeding* Yes! And the smut!
Roppi: Fangirls and their smut…
Tsuki: What's smut?
