Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't owe Gravitation so please don't sue...

GothicYuki: I know, I know that last chapter was a shocker. Hell I shocked myself. odd face But I will take it easy on Shuichi for now. Gomen.

Chapter 4: Knowing the truth...

Normal POV

Hiro reached into the his back pocket, carefully pulling out his keys. Leaning his knee against the door he used that to keep Shuichi stable in his arms as he hurriedly tried to unlock the door. Once in the front door, he carelessly kicked it shut behind him. When in the bathroom he slowly placed the young boy on his feet. Shuichi had to grab a hold of the redhead's shoulders to keep from falling. Hiro grabbed the first towel that he saw. Which cause of his luck it was a white towel that he stole from a hotel a while back. With his hands bloody, and cut he brought the towel between the two of their bodies and he began wiping off all the blood that he saw.

"Go figure my only white towel..." He sighed deeply as he reached over and dropped the blood stained towel in the dirty laundry basket.

"Let's get these clothes off of you..." Shuichi didn't seem to be living, his eyes glassy, cold, and empty. Hiro carefully pulled the clothes off of the lifeless body that was before him. Bruises, blood, and skin that was peeled from it's normal state, revealed. Hiro felt his heart tighten with every scratch that he saw upon Shuichi's body. Hiro didn't remove the shorts because when his hand reached Shuichi's hip the boy whimpered.

"Can you stand in the shower by yourself?"

No answer. Cold, distant stare, followed by tears. Sighing Hiro put down the toilet seat and sat Shuichi down while he removed everything but his boxers. Then reaching into the shower he turned it on. Warm water, he figured Shuichi would like that best. Slowly he lead the young singer into the shower. He had to remind himself not to let this get to him, Shuichi is in a troubled state, no time to be turned on by his half naked body. Grabbing the bar of soap he started to wash all of the open wounds. He couldn't help what he felt when his hands ran up and down the younger's body. Hiro found him beautiful in everyway possible, but it was driving him crazy touching his body this much. He tried his best not to let it get to him, not to get under his skin. That's all that he needed, to get a hard-on when dealing with someone that was just about raped. You wouldn't look any better than the people that did it.

"Dirty..."

Hiro placed his chin on top of Shuichi's shoulders. "What did you say?"

A half smile made it's way across Shuichi's face, "Dirty... now he will never take me back..." He kneeled down to the shower floor and wrapped his arms around the back of his head. "No one wants someone who is dirty..."

Hiro's heart jerked in his chest, he didn't know what to say. Slowly he kneeled down beside the other, grabbing the vanilla shampoo that was stored in the corner of the shower. Poping open the top he poured some of the product in his hand, placing the bottle on the shower floor he bought his soap covered hands to Shuichi's pink mess of hair.

"Shuichi you aren't dirty. What makes to say that?" Hiro's fingers worked the sampoo into the hair of the younger.

"I just feel dirty... I feel dirty when other people touch me... people I don't know..."

Hiro stood up to readjust the shower head, so that it would wash the white foam from the pink bed of hair. Then he kneeled down right next to Shuichi again.

"I hope you know that I will always be here to protect you..." Hiro felt his face glow red, why was something like that so hard to say. Shuichi slowly looked over at the pile of wet red hair. Shuichi smiled to himself as he blushed, he loved long hair. But on Hiro it fit so well, he looked so attractive. Hiro flipped it back so that it wasn't hanging in his face.

"Yeah, I was thinking about cutting it." He smiled as he laughed.

Shuichi shook his head like crazy. "Don't do that..."

"Why...? Girls complain about me having long girly hair. How I am I going to get a girlfriend?"

Shuichi shook his head again. "If they don't like you for who you are, don't change for them. Change for yourself, but that is only if the desire is comming straight from you."

Hiro smiled, "So what you are trying to say is that you like my hair long? Cause that sounds like something to you reworded so that it didn't seem selfish."

The other blushed, "More or less, yes..."

"Well then it stays." A grin stretched across his features.

Shuichi's favorite part of Hiro, would have to be his all famous grin.

"Are you okay to stand on your own now?" He reached up and turned off the water. Shuichi nodded, and he slowly stood up. Hiro stepped out of the shower grabbing a towel from the pile that he had brought in the other day when he was doing cleaning and placed on the counter.

"I forgot all about these towels. I didn't need to ruin that white towel after all." He pouted.

Shuichi found his body shivering all over. The common case of the chills, which was normal for a fever.

"Okay take off your shorts and hand them to me." He closed the shower door. Soon after Shuichi's hand hung the pair of the soaked pair of shorts over the side of the shower door. Hiro took the shorts and handed Shuichi a towel instead. The door opened and out stepped Shuichi with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"Here." Hiro handed him another towel. "Cover your top too until I can get you a pair of my fleece pajamas."

Hiro lead Shuichi out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. Then he headed for his dresser, sreaching the drawers he pulled out a pair of boxers and the fleece pajamas that he promised his friend. Hiro handed the clothes to Shuichi and turned around then began searching his drawers for a under shirt and another pair of boxers. Hiro tugged on the clothes and turned to face Shuichi, who was busy trying to dry his hair.

"Do you feel any better...?" He asked as he went to go and put his sheets properly on the bed.

"Y-yes thank you Hiro." Shuichi forced a smile on his face. "You are the greatest friend that a guy could ask for."

Hiro felt a yank with in his chest. He hoped that some way he could have that changed, because he couldn't stand just being his friend.

"Alright the bed is ready..."

Shuichi gave up on drying the rest of his hair and laid back on the king sized bed. His body began to feel less tense, and this was a huge relief for Shindou. Hiro crawled into the bed from the other side, pulling the blankets up over both of their bodies. Shuichi rolled over and curled into a ball as Hiro reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. Then getting comfortable again he turned so that his chest was facing Shuichi's back.

"Hiro..." It came out as a whisper.

Hiro smiled. "Yeah... what's up?"

"Could you do me a favor..." Shuichi felt his chilled face gain some heat around his cheeks.

"Anything."

"C-can you hold me...?" Shuichi brought his hands up to cover his hot cheeks, why was it hard for him to ask that. He needed body warmth after all, so he could keep warm during the chill state of the fever.

Hiro opened his arms and pulled Shuichi against his chest and wrapped his arms around the younger boy's waist.

"This what you wanted?" Hiro whispered into Shuichi's ear as he placed his chin on the boy's shoulder.

"Y-yes..."

Soon the two boys fell into a deep sleep that was free of all nightmares and the cruel reality of this world.

GothicYuki: Yay, they are finally getting closer as least. looks at them sleeping in the bed What I would give to be inbetween those two. lol Anyways I hope that you are enjoying the story so far, trying to get back into my creative ideas and what not. Please review, and tell me what you think. walks off waving at you