Note: thankyou for reviews ^_^ (I don't think I saw that enough but anyone
else who writes knows what I mean) suggestions always appreciated (and
generally used too - I'm a bear of very little stuffing)
". . . and then . . . and then . . .he threw me out again!" Wailed Shuichi into Hiro's shirt.
His nightshirt as you would expect since it was nearly 2am before Shuichi finally got to the point. Hiro had long ago learnt better than to sleep naked as he was wont to have various Nittle Grasper employees burst through his door in tears at any hour. Seriously, Shuichi wasn't the only one who took advantage of his good nature, hardly a night went by when it wasn't Sakano wailing about press conferences, or Ryuichi crying about Kumagarou's infidelity or K bemoaning firearms legislation.
Running on automatic he patted Shuichi sympathetically on the back. Truthfully he wasn't really paying attention due to the fact he was rather concerned about the silence coming from the other room where he'd left Ryuichi. The last time he'd left Ryuichi alone he'd come out to find Ryuichi immersed in his underwear draw and it wasn't a memory he cared to see reenacted. Sighing in resignation he conceded at least this time he wouldn't have Ayaka and her parents visiting.
"Hiro? Hiro! Are you even listening?" Accused Shuichi waving a hand in front of Hiro's suspiciously glazed eyes.
"Of course!" Sniffed Hiro indignantly. "Yuki threw you out again." After all, there were no deadlines in the next week or so, so what else could it be?
Shuichi glomped Hiro tightly wondering how he could ever have doubted him.
Hiro looked at the bedside clock and wondered how he could possibly draw this out. Inevitably he would have to declare he was going to go beat Yuki up. And then he'd march down to Yuki's apartment and shake his fist at the author a few times and Shuichi would plead for Hiro to stop and and Hiro would slink away in disgrace while Yuki and Shuichi were reunited (in the conjugal way) which kinda ruined his chance of getting a cup of that good coffee Yuki hid under the sink because caffeine was a very good thing and it was way to early in the morning to be thinking. . . if only he could convince Shuichi to put it off for a few hours. . .
"Shuichi! This is serious!" Hiro managed wiping sleepily at one eye. "I need you to repeat everything to me again! In exact detail! Leave out nothing!" He settled back onto the pillow. "I'm going to be concentrating real hard on figuring out what to do, so if I look like I'm sleeping don't disturb me . . . I'm just deep in thought." It seemed like a perfect plan, but then most plans seem to be fool proof when they're concocted at 2am.
"Hiro!" Exclaimed Shuichi in a fresh batch of shoujo tears (which Hiro thought decidedly unfair . . . Shuichi should definitely have been dehydrated by now). "You're so good to me! I don't know how I'd survive without you!" He sniffled graciously as sparkleys coalesced. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you!"
. . . and the guilt trap was sprung with a decidedly sickening snap. Now Hiro would not only have to listen to the tirade again but he would have to actually pretend to pay attention. Which just goes to show crime doesn't pay na no da. Well. If trying to dupe your best friend was a crime anyway - yes in his sleep-deprived state Hiro had missed one very important factor, and that was that he was essentially a good-guy. Why else would he have picketed with K for Gun reforms? Or accompanied Tohma to AA meetings? He drew the line at taking Kumagarou to a LMARS session however - even good guys had to have a little dignity.
Shuichi meanwhile was looking at Hiro's horrified expression and came to a different conclusion. Hiro seemed genuinely concerned.
He hadn't once (not once!) exclaimed Shuichi was not at fault yet. What the heck was that? Shuichi had quite definitely pointed out that he had told Ryuichi quite clearly that that was indeed a toilet and not a bathing receptacle for Kuma. Sure he might have suggested the sunglasses. . . you could never tell when you might need protection . . . but that ONE little suggestion could hardly make him guilty!
Usually Hiro would just kinda go threaten Yuki a bit and Yuki would take Shuichi back and everything would be as it should be. This didn't seem to be anything more than one of their normal fallings out . . . Maybe . . . maybe Shuichi had missed something important. . .
Thus Hiro found himself party to the director's cut of Shuichi's argument with Yuki, with extra crying and extra panic and extra excruciating detail. . .
. . .and yes, by the time Shuichi was finished, Hiro was well and truly convinced he would find his underwear draw bare.
". . . and then . . . and then . . .he threw me out again!" Wailed Shuichi into Hiro's shirt.
His nightshirt as you would expect since it was nearly 2am before Shuichi finally got to the point. Hiro had long ago learnt better than to sleep naked as he was wont to have various Nittle Grasper employees burst through his door in tears at any hour. Seriously, Shuichi wasn't the only one who took advantage of his good nature, hardly a night went by when it wasn't Sakano wailing about press conferences, or Ryuichi crying about Kumagarou's infidelity or K bemoaning firearms legislation.
Running on automatic he patted Shuichi sympathetically on the back. Truthfully he wasn't really paying attention due to the fact he was rather concerned about the silence coming from the other room where he'd left Ryuichi. The last time he'd left Ryuichi alone he'd come out to find Ryuichi immersed in his underwear draw and it wasn't a memory he cared to see reenacted. Sighing in resignation he conceded at least this time he wouldn't have Ayaka and her parents visiting.
"Hiro? Hiro! Are you even listening?" Accused Shuichi waving a hand in front of Hiro's suspiciously glazed eyes.
"Of course!" Sniffed Hiro indignantly. "Yuki threw you out again." After all, there were no deadlines in the next week or so, so what else could it be?
Shuichi glomped Hiro tightly wondering how he could ever have doubted him.
Hiro looked at the bedside clock and wondered how he could possibly draw this out. Inevitably he would have to declare he was going to go beat Yuki up. And then he'd march down to Yuki's apartment and shake his fist at the author a few times and Shuichi would plead for Hiro to stop and and Hiro would slink away in disgrace while Yuki and Shuichi were reunited (in the conjugal way) which kinda ruined his chance of getting a cup of that good coffee Yuki hid under the sink because caffeine was a very good thing and it was way to early in the morning to be thinking. . . if only he could convince Shuichi to put it off for a few hours. . .
"Shuichi! This is serious!" Hiro managed wiping sleepily at one eye. "I need you to repeat everything to me again! In exact detail! Leave out nothing!" He settled back onto the pillow. "I'm going to be concentrating real hard on figuring out what to do, so if I look like I'm sleeping don't disturb me . . . I'm just deep in thought." It seemed like a perfect plan, but then most plans seem to be fool proof when they're concocted at 2am.
"Hiro!" Exclaimed Shuichi in a fresh batch of shoujo tears (which Hiro thought decidedly unfair . . . Shuichi should definitely have been dehydrated by now). "You're so good to me! I don't know how I'd survive without you!" He sniffled graciously as sparkleys coalesced. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you!"
. . . and the guilt trap was sprung with a decidedly sickening snap. Now Hiro would not only have to listen to the tirade again but he would have to actually pretend to pay attention. Which just goes to show crime doesn't pay na no da. Well. If trying to dupe your best friend was a crime anyway - yes in his sleep-deprived state Hiro had missed one very important factor, and that was that he was essentially a good-guy. Why else would he have picketed with K for Gun reforms? Or accompanied Tohma to AA meetings? He drew the line at taking Kumagarou to a LMARS session however - even good guys had to have a little dignity.
Shuichi meanwhile was looking at Hiro's horrified expression and came to a different conclusion. Hiro seemed genuinely concerned.
He hadn't once (not once!) exclaimed Shuichi was not at fault yet. What the heck was that? Shuichi had quite definitely pointed out that he had told Ryuichi quite clearly that that was indeed a toilet and not a bathing receptacle for Kuma. Sure he might have suggested the sunglasses. . . you could never tell when you might need protection . . . but that ONE little suggestion could hardly make him guilty!
Usually Hiro would just kinda go threaten Yuki a bit and Yuki would take Shuichi back and everything would be as it should be. This didn't seem to be anything more than one of their normal fallings out . . . Maybe . . . maybe Shuichi had missed something important. . .
Thus Hiro found himself party to the director's cut of Shuichi's argument with Yuki, with extra crying and extra panic and extra excruciating detail. . .
. . .and yes, by the time Shuichi was finished, Hiro was well and truly convinced he would find his underwear draw bare.