The Smell of Vodka

Chapter XIII: The Happiest Man in the World

FallingBreathless

First to start things off, "Yeah, it's summer!" Also, I am not that great with being all gushy with my feelings and stuff BUT I would like to step out of character to tell you guys that your reviews were...they were what kept me from giving up on this story. So, "thanks" and "yes, you may grin all you want in front of your screen." Hahaha. Also, no review is a bad review! Review confidently folks cause I'll love you no matter what you say. Although I may love you a little, just a teensy bit less if, you are just gonna be a YouTube troll...er...one on FanFic via reviews. Though luckily that hasn't happened yet :D

Hopefully, you guys will continue to show such support and keep on reading this. I am kind of worrried that my writing is lagging...finals really just sucked the energy right out of me. Well, without further ado. READ! XD

Morning came one again as the sun yawned and stretched his fingers across the land, spreading out slowly like a silk scarf, gradual as a mother's caress to that of a sleeping infant, bathing all it touched with a warm, orange glow. Then, upon waking up, the world was flooded with light and life as if an imaginary power switch had clicked on. The sound of traffic murmured from that of a faint buzz into a stream of purrs, and the sound of people and movement grew as men and women put on their suits and skirts, armor to fight for another day's paycheck in the corporate world.

However, in the midst of the suburban and urban early morning bustle, an entirely different world remained cocooned in the velvety down of sleep. In this haven, time was still as irrelevant as it had been at the dawn of life; it simply passed by unnoticed.

Sunlight hit long black lashes, turning them into a rich amber-brown. Eyelids fluttered delicately before revealing golden brown irises whose oil black pupils instantly adjusted to the bright light.

Yao had left the land of the slumbering.

However, though his eyes were open, he found himself still in a state of tranquility, of semi-consciousness. He felt reborn, a newborn unaware of oneself and intrigued by the world around. He did not think about the stress of work, the problems with the people in his life, or even what he was going to wear. He was there, but at the moment, he didn't even know his own name. He didn't even contemplate whether or not he wanted to know his own name. He simply was content to just be, exist, and take pleasure in the present.

A room bathed in sunlight, the smell of incense, burned out but still lingering in the air. The way the light played to create nuances in the color of the walls, the bed sheets, and the tangle of blond hair next to him.

As his mind slowly began waking, Yao found himself staring face-to-face with Ivan. Greedily, he took in the details of his sleeping companion: pale blond hair, and equally blond lashes on a background of pale, creamy colored skin. Ivan's sleeping face looked so peaceful that one could have easily mistaken him for an angel of Michelangelo's depiction, if Michelangelo had had the urge to paint a sexy, well-toned angel that is. Lips stretched into a smile as lashes opened to reveal violet eyes, which stared into amber ones.

"Good morning, Jao."

Yao was awake enough to blush, appalled at being caught staring at the other's face.

"G-good morning aru," he murmured. "How long, um, have you been awake?"

"A while," Ivan replied smiling. It was infrequent at best that he'd get to wake up in bed with Yao, what with his always being on call and Yao being a workaholic.

Not wanting to ask how long that meant, Yao let himself be wrapped into an embrace before going even redder, if possible. He'd forgotten that they weren't wearing anything. Pushing away from Ivan, he caught sight of a pile of fabric, the dress that had been discarded, laying crumpled in a corner. It quickly reminded Yao that there were worse things that he could have been wearing rather than just simply his skin.

Strong arms found their way back around Yao's body. A small gasp escaped Yao's lips as his back pressed into Ivan's chest and Ivan's….pressed against his ass. "Let's go another round, da."

Before Yao was going to modestly turn down Ivan's suggestion, something behind Ivan's head caught Yao's eye.

"Shit," Yao cussed uncharacteristically as he realized that it was the remains of his alarm clock, its digital face blank and cracked. Glancing at the amount of sunlight filtering into the room, Yao guessed it was already around nine. ""I'm going to be late for work. No, never mind, I am already late."

Ivan frowned.

"Don't go to work today then."

Yao shook his head and grimaced.

"I can't do that," then turning, Yao narrowed his eyes. "You need to go to work too! Damn it aru. Of all the things you could have destroyed, why did you have to destroy my clock?"

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, a jolt of pain shot up from the base of Yao's spine. This. Was. Not. Happening. Tentatively biting down the pain, Yao slid himself to the edge of the bed. Taking in a deep breath, he got up from the bed.

Pain burst behind his eyes like white lilies blocking his sight. He crumpled at the knees as if invisible strings had been cut. But before he hit the ground, large hands propped Yao up. He was like a little kid once more. His face went scarlet. Unlike a child, Yao was fully conscious of Ivan's nudity. Only the searing pain kept Yao from pulling away from the other's supporting hands and diving under the covers out of embarrassment as he was reminded very physically how he, himself, was also wearing nothing.

Ivan hadn't missed the slight tightening of the corners of Yao's mouth while the other had gotten into a sitting position. Then, when Yao had started falling, he didn't think before he had caught the other mid-fall. One second he had been in bed, the next he was propping up his love, heart thudding loudly under his skin. For a millisecond, some irrational fear had made Ivan's blood run cold. There was a slight relaxation of Ivan's shoulders before he calmed down. Sighing, Ivan laid Yao back onto the bed.

"I will say it again, 'Don't go to work today.' Stay at home."

"You know that I can't do that aru," Yao forced his body into a sitting position once again. "All I need a shower and then I'll be fine."

This time he made it three or four steps before he found himself losing his fight against gravity. Once again Ivan was there to catch him before he fell.

"It's not going to happen, Yao," Ivan announced, setting Yao back onto the bed. "It doesn't matter how many times you try to get out of bed," he added, seeing the other readying himself to make another attempt at the impossible feat.

Fighting the urge to grit his teeth, Ivan waited patiently as Yao once again painfully pulled himself into a sitting position. Yao couldn't simply accept his fate; it could be possible that the soreness would go away after moving a bit more. Maybe he had just slept funny.

Seeing the other's stifled, pained expression once again, Ivan couldn't stand it anymore. Yao was too hardworking for his own good. He couldn't and wouldn't stand for it. If he let Yao to somehow manage to go to work in his current condition, then he'd be a failure as a man.

Suddenly, Yao left the bed, and he found himself being carried bridal style in Ivan's arms. "Yao, you are staying home and that is that, da. I will keep you here even if I have to watch you the entire day," Ivan stated, emphasizing his point by setting the other back into a laying postion on the afore mentioned bed.

"I have to get to work. Without me there, there is no way any thing will get done. The company cannot run without me aru," Yao demanded, trying to make Ivan see how going to work wasn't an option but a dire necessity. "Unless someone is yelling at them, my coworkers will cause nothing but trouble."

"I am sure that the company will be fine without you for a day. The people you work with can manage themselves; I am sure they are competent people."

Yao immediately thought of Feliciano, Im Yong Soo, Francis and that other guy who worked the front desk…breaking PDA rules, and the last time he'd seen Arthur, drunk. Yao knew for sure that they, and thus the company, would definitely NOT be fine without him. He could already imagine it: the building burning down, drunks asleep in the halls, important paperwork being lost. It was a workaholic's mental hell.

As if Ivan could read Yao's mind, he planted a light, placating kiss onto the other's collarbone and added the deciding blow. "Yao, you must realize that you could not do anything even if you were there. You cannot even make it to the bathroom without assistance." The last part was a chuckle, which immediately incited an indignant huff.

A few stubborn seconds of silence elapsed before Yao finally gave in.

"Fine," he muttered unwillingly.

Reason was reason enough. There was no way he would be asking Arthur or anyone at work to "assist him to the restroom." Plus, He knew it would be pointless to continue with the argument; Ivan wasn't going to change his verdict. However, that didn't mean that he was going to consent to everything. He had lost the war but there were the peace treaty terms to be negotiated. He wasn't going to surrender to his fate unconditionally. "But you still need to go to work aru," Yao added pointedly.

Relieved that Yao was dropping the idea of going to work, Ivan consented to the other's demand.

"Da. I can do that; I suppose."

"Also, you need to call them to say that you're going to be late for work aru. Also, I'll need to…um," Yao's forehead crinkled as he tried to remember the protocol for missing work in such a situation as his. He hadn't missed a day of work for years, and it wasn't as if the company handbook covered such situations. "Well, could you call in for me, Ivan, and tell them that I am…er…sick?"

"Da."

"Thanks aru. Also, tell them that if –no when- some thing comes up that they should reach me on my cell immediately, regardless."

Giving a nod, Ivan began heading toward the door, stopping under the doorframe to look back. Yao was sprawled on the bed sheets, porcelain skin, soft and warm, bare except for black silky hair loose from its customary hair tie. Long, slender legs and arms, thighs moist from –Ivan averted his eyes blushing faintly. "Shall I assist you to the restroom?" he asked, politely staring away from his bedridden angel.

Feeling shy and embarrassed, Yao only managed half of his previous grumble.

"I suppose it cannot be helped."

Ivan smiled amusedly in response, walking back to gently scoop up Yao into his arms. Yao looped his arms around Ivan's neck as Ivan shifted Yao's weight to free his right hand. Grabbing a clean set of clothes for Yao, Ivan carried Yao down the hall to their bathroom.

Meanwhile, Yao wondered for a split second if he was heavy or not: Could he have recently gained some weight? He quickly dismissed the idea. Really, he was too old to be in such situations and worrying about such trivial matters…

XXX

"Hey, Ivan do you think that recently I've been eating more than I normally do?"

Glancing back from the bathtub, Ivan cast a curious look toward the figure seated on top of the toilet lid.

"Eating is healthy da," he replied, getting up to grab a clean towel from the bathroom closet.

"That wasn't answer my question aru," Yao pouted (or frowned), although he was still grateful when Ivan passed him the towel. It gave him something to cover himself up with.

"Yao, I know what this is about, but you are being nonsensical da. You barely eat as is."

Yao gave no response but just dismally pinched at what-little-tummy fat he had. The action spoke for itself, and it drew and immediate response from Ivan. Ivan's hands firmly grasped Yao's hands and set them at rest in the other's lap. "Yao, I am a doctor da. So listen to me; instead of worrying about your weight or rather the lack of, I want you to stop thinking that you need to change yourself. To me you are already the most beautiful person on this planet, so you don't have to worry about something so insignificant."

"I-it's not like I'm worried about what you think," Yao muttered, unable to meet the other's loving expression. "It's just that…um…"

Yao had no idea where he was going with his rambling. As the silence continued, Ivan decided to give Yao a little encouragement.

"Are you worried about what will happen if you if you, for instance, gained an extra 30 lbs in the next year?"

Yao blanched at the thought: he couldn't even imagine himself with another 5 lbs let alone six times that amount.

"Of course I would be worried! Who wouldn't be, if they gained that much weight in such a short period of time aru! If that happened you wouldn't -"

Realizing his slip up, Yao quickly clamped his mouth shut. However, Ivan had already caught the other's words.

"I wouldn't what?"

"I-it's nothing important aru!" Yao protested. "Let's just forget about it."

The roar of water splashing into the tub filled the background as Ivan and Yao stared at each other. Ivan's hands let go of their hold on Yao's smaller ones to cup the other's face.

"I will not forget," Ivan stated, cutting into the continuous sound of water. "I want to know what you're thinking, Yao."

Yao flinched as felt the touch of skin and suddenly he was staring down into earnest, imploring violet irises. Frankly, it was unfair of Ivan to do that to him. The look had been used on him since Im Yong Soo was eight years old. Really.

"Fine!" Yao shouted, not as angry as he wanted to sound. "Alright, alright, already. Cut that out aru!"

Ivan beamed; he had only hoped that the puppy-dog look would work. Although, guiltily, he remembered that he'd gotten the idea from several years back during Christmas when Im Yong Soo had guilt-pleaded Yao into buying him some video game or computer game that he'd wanted.

As a sort of apology, Ivan gave Yao a light kiss on the lips. After Ivan pulled away, Yao gave him a questioning raise of the eyebrow.

Ivan just smiled sunnily in response.

"So, would you care to explain what exactly it is that I would supposedly do? I would like to know da."

"Look," Yao started, absently playing with Ivan's hands. "I'm afraid. I am so very afraid aru. What I have right now. No, what we have right now is completely new to me. This happiness that I am experiencing is something I have never even thought possible. But that's what scares me. It seems too perfect, too good to be true aru. The cynic in me keeps telling me that this won't last, that the world won't let it last. That something's going to break, and I'll be back at where I started. I don't want –no- I can't lose what we have, Ivan. If I had the choice between losing this and dying, I would choose-"

"Shh," Ivan interjected, pressing a finger to the other's lips. "Don't say it, Yao. Just don't."

He could not even bear to think of his love disappearing…gone, never being able to be returned.

For a moment, Yao fought the urge to release his words, but seeing the fear in the other's eyes, Yao's eyes softened as his resolve dissolved. "I want us to stay together aru. If I get unattractive, you might leave me."

"Leave you?" Ivan exclaimed, gripping Yao's smaller hands. "That must be a joke da. I could never leave you. I love you. You are the most beautiful person to have ever set foot on this planet."

"People are always saying that word, that I'm "beautiful." Is that all that I am? A pretty object to look at, to care for, to own? What if I change? I won't look like this forever aru. I can't beat time."

"Jao, listen to me. I can't speak for those in your past, but you mean much more to me than I could possibly describe with mere words da. You will always be the best part of me, and I will always love you. Nothing is going to change that: not the way you look and definitely not how much you weigh. The sun could be obliterated and the world cast into eternal darkness, death could be imminent for the human race, and I would still be standing next to you, wondering how someone like me ever got to be with someone like you. When I first saw you, it was like I was seeing the light of day for the first time; from then, I promised that I would be with you for eternity."

Yao shook his head as tears trailed down his face.

"No, don't say that, Ivan. I can't ask for forever," Yao said, voice quavering. "Those words…someone else once said them to me, and 'forever' turned out to shorter than what I thought. You can't promise me forever, no one can promise that."

"Then for as long as you want me," Ivan amended gently. "I'll never leave your side."

"That's all I could ask for. Thank you aru."

Then slowly, Yao wrapped the other into an embrace, trying to convey to Ivan what his words could not.

XXX

After a while, Yao let go of Ivan and moving to give the other some space.

"Ivan?"

"Yes, Yao?" Ivan asked, missing the sound of the other's heartbeat.

"You should stop the water now."

"What is that?" Ivan asked, a bit confused at the sudden change in conversation.

"The water for the bath. There's enough water already aru."

Then he remembered, the bath. With a quick motion, Ivan stopped the influx of water. The large stainless steel tub had filled with hot, steamy water during their conversation. Once the water had settled, Ivan lowered a finger into the water to test the temperature: slightly too hot, just the way Yao preferred it.

"Okay, ready for a bath, now?" Ivan asked, smiling tenderly as he scooped up Yao into his arms.

"Y-yes. Now let me go aru!" Yao blushed. "Just set me down. I can handle everything after that."

"Da. Then this is good?" Ivan asked, placing Yao into the water.

"Yes, that's good. Now, leave. It's embarrassing to have you help me bathe. I can at least handle that much aru."

Ivan tore his gaze away from the other's ink black hair in time to see Yao blush again and attempt to discreetly cover himself with his arms.

"Alright," Ivan consented as he headed for the door, glad that Yao had returned to his usual self. "Just make sure you call me if you need anything," Ivan added as he closed the door behind him. "I will be downstairs in the kitchen."

"I'll be fine," came the response. "Any-anyways, you worry too much."

"As do you da," Ivan replied, standing on the other side of the door.

Smiling as he headed to make breakfast and a few phone calls, Ivan felt like the happiest man in the world.

I had a bit of trouble (aka writer's block) when trying to come up with a follow up scene for the last one. I didn't want it to be too lovey-dovey, but I also didn't want it to suddenly go WHAM! lets just jump to the corporate-semi-humorous plot again. Lol.

I am setting myself a deadline (we'll have to see how well that works out). The next chapter should come out...erm...I am aiming for this Friday (that's like July 1st or something)! Whoot whoot!

FallingBreathless