Notes: Response to the temps_mort deadline challenge, 45-minute time limit. Very abrupt ending, as I was already a couple of minutes over. Not the usual Seto x Joey I write, rather obviously ^_^
Deadlines.
Ryuuji was one of those people who was always perfectly organised, much to the annoyance of his boyfriend. It wasn't so much that each date had to be slotted perfectly into a little black book filled with other 'lunch dates' and 'business meetings' that better not involve hot sex or long walks on the beach. Nor was it the fact that Ryuuji had to have even the cutlery positioned in the exact right place otherwise a huffy (but very cute) fit would surely be on the horizon. When everything was going completely according to Ryuuji's incredibly detailed schedule and plans - as the world usually did - then his perfectionist boyfriend was perfectly happy and relaxed.
Which was, quite possibly, why Honda was enjoying the completely frazzled appearance of his beloved geek right now.
"Honda, have you seen my green disk?" Said geek asked from his place at the computer, which was already piled high in green disks. A stranger to this particular breed of Ryuuji might rightly mistake the boy at the desk as someone else. It was rare for even Honda to see Ryuuji in a state of imperfection, no-one else would believe that the scruffy, sleep deprived human that looked as though he was either going to fall asleep or kill someone (perhaps both, in a sleep-walking/zombie kind of way) was the demi-god that most adored.
"Which one would that be?" Honda asked sweetly, running a hand over several of the disks, only to have Ryuuji smack the hand away.
"Oh, don't even bother. I should have known you'd be no help." Ah, now that was a Ryuuji that others would be able to recognise better. "Why the hell did I think I could do this?" The words we muttered under Ryuuji's breath, any louder and they might have risked breaking his concentration or slow his typing down from three hundred thousand words a second, Honda supposed. "Five months to fix a programme that has hundreds of flaws in it? No wonder Kaiba was smirking when he gave the file to me – he knew it would be impossible."
"I warned ya," Honda replied proudly, it wasn't often he got one up on Ryuuji, after all. "I told you that Kaiba would never want the help of one of us, and the thing was bound to be booby trapped or fill of viruses or contain illegal information –"
"None of which the disk involved," came the hot answer. "And it's *Virii* not Viruses. How is it that someone who is my boyfriend cannot know something so simple?" Aw. Ryuuji was so cute when he was being horrible. "Besides, Kaiba thinks it can be fixed in time for the release date of his new programme, so it must be possible." There was a hint of desperation in Ryuuji's voice, which was even sweeter than his insults. Walking behind his boyfriend, he gently placed a hand reassuring on Ryuuji's shoulder.
"You've been working on this thing for four months or something. I'm sure you've got as much done as anyone can humanly do."
"Five months," Ryuuji growled, shrugging off the 'comforting' hand angrily. "Five months of working my arse off, and I have to have it done by three today, Honda. Three." The panic was back, and a quick glance down at the computer clock showed that it was close to mid-day already. "This is really important to me, Honda. I can't screw this up."
"And you won't." There. Did that qualify as supportive behaviour, or what? He was such an awesome boyfriend. "And maybe if you stopped stressing for a moment – took a break or something – then you'd feel a lot more better and get it done quicker." Such a perfectly supportive boyfriend.
"I'm not stopping to have sex with you, Honda." Ryuuji responded coldly as he kept typing.
"But we haven't had sex in weeks." It didn't come out as a whine, but it took a lot of control to keep it that way. And damn Ryuuji for knowing him so well. "I told you Kaiba had an ulterior motive, he doesn't want me to get any! Just cause he's a pansy who can't score doesn't mean he has to ruin my life so completely, I mean he-ouch!" Well. If there was one thing Ryuuji was, it was multi-talented. How the other boy had managed to keep typing and yet still throw a pair of dice at him, Honda would never know.
Sighing softly, he grabbed the four-dozen (ok, maybe half a dozen) coffee cups that had been living on the computer desk for who knows how long before heading out to the kitchen, making a fresh cup of tea while he was out there. The thankful smile that somehow managed to convey a different emotion than stress warmed Honda slightly, even if that smile only lasted for a second.
"Well, I couldn't have you drinking the same, cold tea that's probably been sitting here for the full four months," Honda offered, trying to pull Ryuuji into some form of communication.
"Five months." Ryuuji stopped typing for half a second, but it was only so he could change one green disk for another. The typing continued on for several moments as Honda pondered if he really wanted to kiss his own boyfriend, anyway, considering that it was unlikely that Ryuuji had cleaned his teeth these past couple of days.
The next time the insistent typing stopped, Honda assumed that it was because it was time for another disk change or something similar, and it was only when the typing failed to resume that he looked up from the comic he had taken to reading after having found that the floor was far more of a comfortable place than simply standing around doing nothing. Ryuuji, who had been in a state of frantic activity for months, was now disturbingly still, apart from the slight shaking that seemed to have taken over his entire body.
"I can't do this Honda." The words were said so softly that, if Honda hadn't been so in love with his geeky, overly beautiful, perfectionist boyfriend that he hadn't long ago become a master at hanging onto Ryuuji's every word, he might have missed them. Getting to his feet, Honda pulled the computer chair away slightly from the desk, kneeling before Ryuuji, whose eyes were shining in pain and failure. "I can't. Maybe if I had a couple more days, but Kaiba said he was on a tight schedule, and that it had to be done in time."
"You did your best, Ryuuji, and that is all anyone can expect." Honda replied just as softly, gently kissing Ryuuji. "After all, it's a lot of work to get done in four months."
"Five." Ryuuji laughed quietly, although 'hysterical' seemed to fit fairly well, also. "You are such an idiot sometimes. Don't know the plural form of virus, can't remember which month we're in. Why do I date you, again?" The words were said affectionately and were accompanied by a wobbly smile.
"Because the sex is brilliant?" Honda offered, pulling Ryuuji into a warm huge as a slow smirk rising to his own lips. "And considering that you missed my birthday a week ago, I really don't think you're one to talk about remembering dates and such."
"You're birthday isn't until next month, you dolt." Ryuuji choked back a laugh. Honda just glanced back at him as the smirk grew bigger.
"Next month, huh? I guess I am silly, thinking it's already December and all."
Ryuuji blinked once, then twice.
"You mean, it's not December, yet?" he asked weakly. Honda shook his head, the smirk now having successfully taken over his entire face.
"Not unless we've somehow managed to miss my birthday, Yugi's birthday, that big function your store has every year as well as a little thing called Christmas."
"Not December?" Ryuuji jumped out of Honda's arms and rushed to the calendar that was hanging hazardously on the far wall. "It's not December," he added as he turned back to Honda, and this time hysteria was the only way to describe the tone of his voice.
"I was wondering why you'd turned into a hermit, lately." Honda responded wryly, but didn't have a chance to say anything else as Ryuuji was suddenly at his side and kissing him deeply. It was at that point that Honda determined that it didn't matter if Ryuuji hadn't invested in personal hygiene for days on end, he simply liked kissing the other boy too much.
"Thank-you." It came out in the husky way Ryuuji's voice always did after they'd just kissed. "I thought, I …" Ryuuji didn't need to finish, Honda had got pretty good at being able to read his thoughts, as well. This time, when Ryuuji untangled himself from his boyfriend's arms, it was done reluctantly. "I think I'm going to go have a shower," he said ruefully. "Then I'm going to clean my teeth."
"And then?" Honda replied in just a little bit of a suggestive way.
"And then I'm finishing this project. I've got a whole month to make sure it's absolutely perfect." Honda groaned, not knowing how he couldn't have predicted that response. He allowed himself to collapse into the empty computer chair as Ryuuji happily left the computer room, whistling some tune off key.
"It's a conspiracy. It has to be."
"You know, I just had an idea." Honda looked up from where he'd dropped his head into his hands. Ryuuji was leaning against the doorframe in a way that could have been suggestive if it were not for the fact that everything Ryuuji did could be interpreted that way. "My hair really is a mess, and I don't think I can wash it properly on my own …"
Honda was on his feet before Ryuuji could even finish.
"We wouldn't want that, would be?" The mock seriousness might have worked better if Honda hadn't already grabbed Ryuuji's hand and was dragging him towards the bathroom.
No, they wouldn't want that, at all.