The Universe
Chapter Two - What Lips My Lips Have Kissed
By Djinn Hashiba-Maxwell
*~*~*
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.
Thus in the winter stand the lonely tree,
Nor knows which birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows it's boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.
~*~ "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why" ~*~
~*~ Edna St. Vincent Millay ~*~
*~*~*
"Oh yeah so who was that boy who answered the door when I came yesterday?"
"Who, Ryo?"
"How should I know, that's why I'm asking you!"
"Yeah, it was Ryo."
"Yeah, what was that look he was givin' you, huh?"
On his end of the connection Touma blinked and paused for a second. "...What are you talking about, Kaiya?"
Kaiya rolled her eyes, though the expression was wasted over the phone, and snorted. "Oh don't EVEN play sweet and innocent wit' me, Touma-chan. You live with the guy, and I'm gonna assume on an off guess that this was not a solitary occurrence, so dish. What's up? You playin' the field?"
"No!" Touma exclaimed, loudly enough that Shin turned from the stove to raise an eyebrow at him where he sat, sprawled out over one of the dining room chairs. Quieter, he continued, "Don't be silly, Kaiya. I love Seiji."
"Oh, you and your Seiji-chan! Come on, there's got to be SOMETHING wrong with that boy, why won't you ever admit it?"
"Oh get real. You're jealousy is sooooo transparent." Touma responded.
Just then Nasutei's Head popped into the room. "Touma! You're such a GIRL! You went out to dinner with Kaiya last night, you don't need to talk to her now! I need to get online!"
Touma rolled his eyes slightly. "Hear that? That's the warden. She's says that visiting hours are done."
"Cop ouuuuuut!" Kaiya accused.
"Bye Kaiya-chan." Touma said sweetly, and then hung up before she could say another word. But the seeds had been planted; Kaiya's suggestions made a little too much sense. In fact his found himself wondering why he hadn't noticed before. And there was something else...
When Ryo had found out about him and Seiji, when he'd run off, when Touma had followed him, he'd said something peculiar.
"Then I never had a chance."
*~*~*
"Hey Ryo."
Rekka jumped nearly three feet in the air before turning sharply. "Geezus, Touma! Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Touma snickered but politely tried to disguise it as a cough. "Er... yeah sorry. Listen, can you give me a ride into town?"
Ryo blinked. "Uhm... why?"
Touma rolled his eyes. "Because I'm bored, why else. You don't have anything better to do, do you?" He looked hopeful and Ryo felt himself melting easily under that cerulean gaze. God I am really pathetic.
"Sure, I'll give you a ride." He said, hoping that the tremble he heard in his voice was imagined. In any case, Touma gave no indication that heard had heard any such thing. "But, uh... why didn't you ask Seiji to drive you?" He asked only because he had to know. It wasn't as if he didn't LIKE the idea of Touma on the back of his bike... pressed against him... breath against his neck... ye gods, if he wasn't careful he was going to have to take a cold shower before they left.
Touma cocked his head at Ryo, raising an eyebrow in an entirely too cute expression. Gods does he have the slightest idea what he is doing to me... "I don't have to spend ALL my time with Seiji, you know." Touma commented dryly. "I mean, you're my best friend but lord knows I get sick of YOU sometimes."
Ryo laughed at that, trying not to make it sound as forced as it was. The world was against him; he couldn't even have his hopes, when they arose something - or usually someONE - would remind him just what he was to Touma.
Best friend. Gods, that hurt.
"Well, you wanna go now?" Ryo said quickly, not knowing how long he had been silent and hoping that it hadn't been long.
"Yeah. Now is good." Touma said with a sharp nod. "Hey ya know what? If you don't have to be home at any special time, we could go to this club I know." Touma said, following the other boy out into the garage, where Ryo's bike was stored. Ryo tossed him the extra helmet as he nodded.
"I've got nothing planned. That might be nice." He consented. The smile Touma gave him in response made his heart jump into his throat.
"Great! This'll be fun. I was so bored in this house." He swung himself onto the bike behind Ryo, arms locking instinctively around Rekka's waist, the flat muscles of his abdomen pressed against Ryo's lower back. The black-haired boy gulped. I hope I haven't gotten in over my head…
*~*~*
"Right there." Touma said against his ear, pointing over to a small building on the corner. It didn't look like much.
"THIS is your favorite club?" Ryo asked dubiously. Touma smacked the side of his helmet with a laugh.
"Hey! You've never been inside, it's got serious ambiance!" He replied as Ryo pulled the bike to a stop. He pulled off his helmet and shook out his black hair as Touma did likewise.
"Er… yeah, if you say so…" Ryo said, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Touma didn't respond to that, except by grabbing Ryo by the wrist and pulling him towards the doors. There was a bouncer at the door, but Touma just smiled and waved and the broad-shouldered man said nothing as they slipped inside. Ryo wondered briefly at the ease of entering - neither of them even LOOKED of age, after all - but once inside the loud music and flashing lights precluded complex thought.
"Want a drink?" Touma yelled over the din, jerking his thumb at the bar. "It's a little quieter over there." He added.
"Sounds good." Ryo yelled back, feeling a little uncomfortable. Touma seemed as at ease here as Shin in water but this was most assuredly not his sort of place. He was beginning to regret agreeing, but that thought was driven out of his head quite effectively when Touma's hand closed around his own as the blue-haired warrior led him to the bar.
"Don't get lost!" Touma quipped with a bright smile.
"R-right." Ryo stuttered, senses clouded by the innocent touch of Touma's hand around his. The touch was warm and produced little electric shocks of sensation that seemed to dance behind his eyes like stars. Gods… if just holding his hand can do this, imagine what it would be like to kiss him… WAIT! Scratch that, don't imagine that, don't torture yourself…
"You okay?" Touma asked, concerned by the blank, daydream-y look in Ryo's eyes. The warrior of fire physically shook himself before replying.
"Yeah. Fine." He said quickly. Then, "Actually I think I WOULD like a drink."
Touma blinked, presumably in surprise, then shrugged. "Sure." He knocked his knuckles against the bar to get the tender's attention. "HEY! Two beers! Whatever's on draft is good." The barkeep nodded and soon two large mugs of beer were set in front of them. Touma motioned Ryo onto the stool beside him. "Come on, I won't bite…." a dirty grin. "…hard."
Ryo gulped again. Damn maybe this wasn't the best idea… He took a nice, long drink of the beer in front of him. For a novice drinker like him it was more than enough alcohol to get buzzed, which was exactly the idea. Her drained the mug in two such swallows And slammed it back against the counter, hard enough that Touma looked over at him in surprise with raised eyebrows in mid-sip. His lips were slightly parted and wet from the alcohol, the dim lights casting peculiar shadows over his face. Oh SHIT look away NOW…
But he couldn't, he stared transfixed at Touma's slightly parted lips as if they held the meaning of life.
"Ryo?" Touma called curiously, but the boy to whom he spoke didn't even hear him, and it was beginning to creep Tenku out just a little. "Uhm… Ryo? You wanna dance or something…?"
He was never given the chance to say more as his leader, his best friend, cupped his hands around his face and pulled the archer's lips, slightly parted in mid-sentence, against his own in a crushing kiss.
*~*~*
Djinn: I'm being evil again. ^__^
