Disclaimers: Gravitation still doesn't belong to me, as much as it may surprise you people.
Notes: I'm BACK!!! I'm freaking back! If anyone still reads this story I'll be surprised, but I'm going to finish it even if it kills me! I was almost done, too, and then BOOM! It rolled over and fell asleep when Beauty and the Beast took shape.
Back to Shuichi's point of view.
~*The Bible of Kumagoro—Getting Closer to Your God*~
I sighed as I finally hung up the phone, rubbing at my poor ear. I had to have been on the phone for HOURS with Ryuichi, and I had nothing to show for it but a sore ear. I didn't know what to do any more than he did. I mean, I liked to help out, but there just wasn't anything I could do about it. I had talked to Tatsuha a while, too, but I'd almost immediately given that call to Yuki. As much as I wanted to help them both out, I figured maybe Tatsuha would rather talk to his family about this. Sure, I don't think Yuki was the first on Tatsuha's comfort list, but family was family.
I checked the clock as I got up from my position on the couch. It was past 1:30…that was over three hours on the phone. It was doubtful Yuki was even aware I was still awake. I should have been, that was for sure. I had to be back at the studio at 6. That only gave me about 4 hours to sleep before I had to get back up again. I wasn't going right to sleep anyway; I needed to spend some time with Yuki first.
"Yuki…" I half-whispered, hoping he wouldn't be mad at me for breaking his concentration. Obviously he'd been off the phone with Tatsuha for quite a while now. He barely even looked at me before returning to his writing. Well, that was painful.
"Why aren't you in bed?" he asked without even bothering to look at me, and I tried my hardest not to laugh, walking over to him and shoving his hands away from the keys gently. He glared at me as I sat down in his lap, holding onto his hands so he couldn't push me off.
"I couldn't sleep daddy, read me a story?" I pouted, pressing my face close to his. If he was going to be an ass about this I sure as hell could do the same thing. The look on Yuki's face was absolutely priceless, and I smiled at him innocently in return.
"Once upon a time there was a pink-haired brat that always annoyed his lover before going to sleep. Then one day he got what he deserved, the end."
"Do I get what I deserve?"
"Don't complain to me when you're tired tomorrow. What were you two talking about anyway?" Yuki asked after a while, obviously not interested in the answer. At least he was attempting conversation, though. That was always a plus…even if he wasn't remotely interested in what was going on.
"I'm sure Tatsuha told you what's going on, right?" Yuki nodded once in confirmation and I nodded back before continuing. "Ryuichi really doesn't want to go."
"Then why is he?" Wow, either Yuki was actually starting to get interested in this conversation or he was desperate to get his computer back. I let go of his hands when he twitched slightly, smiling as innocently as I could manage.
"Singing is everything to people like me…second to you, of course." Yuki smiled ever so slightly as he reached past me for his cigarettes. He probably hoped that I didn't notice it, but I did, and it was enough to make me happy for years.
"So he's dragging Tatsuha into the middle of this for those reasons," he stated offhandedly as he grabbed a cigarette out of the pack, not even looking at me. I kind of wished he'd smile at me again, but that wasn't going to happen.
"Yeah, I guess so…stop that," I demanded forcefully as Yuki lit his cigarette, taking it away from him and crushing it in the ashtray behind me. "Not when I'm sitting here. I wish you'd stop it for your own sake, but I know you won't so at least don't push it in my face." Yuki didn't seem too happy with me over that, but he didn't say anything.
"Sounds kind of selfish to me." I nodded slowly and sighed. I didn't know how to explain this to Yuki in a way he would understand. I mean, I understood it…sort of. I understood the feelings behind it, but not why they were there. I would have wanted to do the same thing in Ryuichi's position, but there was no way I could leave Yuki behind. I couldn't just stop singing however. I had to wonder if ever this situation would turn towards me when a newer, better artist made his way to the top. Would I have to leave Yuki behind, or would he come with me? "Neither of you two bother to think things through, do you?" I smiled slightly and shook my head.
"Nope. But that's what makes us famous now, isn't it?" Yuki quirked an eyebrow at me curiously and I couldn't help but laugh. "We do what our heart wants, not what our mind wants. You can tell when we sing. That's why people like us, even if my lyrics are crappy."
"True your lyrics suck, but I don't think that's why people like you." With that Yuki wrapped his arms around me gently and I smiled, understanding what he wouldn't say. "Now really, why are you still awake?" As if Yuki didn't already know, weirdo.
"Wanted to spend time with you, what else?" Yuki seemed a little aggravated at that and let go of me, crossing his arms instead. "What?"
"I have better things to do than entertain you, you know. Between you and Tatsuha I barely have time to work." Wha…? What was so wrong with me wanting to spend a little bit of time with the person I loved before I went to sleep? Really, it wasn't like he wasn't going to be up all night writing anyway. I must have looked hurt because Yuki twitched ever so slightly, uncrossing his arms and holding me again. "Don't do that, idiot. Go to sleep already…you don't sleep enough as is."
"What about you? You sleep less than I do."
"I'm not a little brat, though, am I?"
"I'm not a little brat!" Yuki seemed slightly amused by my arguments, but it didn't show through his facial expressions, rather through the way he acted. Living with Yuki you got to know someone more through how they acted than how they looked. You couldn't know Yuki without knowing that you couldn't trust the mask people wore.
"Seriously, go to sleep," Yuki tried again, pushing me off his lap gently so that I was forced to stand rather awkwardly.
"You sound like my mother."
"Whatever gets you to go to sleep." I smiled mischievously at that, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek softly. "What is it now?"
"Come to bed with me. I promise I'll sleep," I whispered softly into his ear, resting my hands on his shoulders. I'd never break a promise if I could help it, and Yuki knew that better than anyone. I also let it hang that I wouldn't sleep unless Yuki came with me, and he caught that as soon as I finished talking.
"You're a sneak on top of being a little brat, and you know it."
"Whatever works." I wasn't stupid enough not to know that Yuki was worried about me, and I could play off that as easily as anyone else could. To tell the truth, I was worried about him, too. He needed sleep more than I did, honestly. He worked himself too hard. He already had enough money, couldn't he take his time on a book or two? Relax and start working normal hours...sleep normal hours. "Come on, you know you want to." This was followed with more soft kisses, moving to wrap my arms around his neck.
"I know no such thing." Liar. He wasn't even trying anymore, was he? "Get off of me, I have work to do."
"You can work tomorrow while I'm gone." I purposely put extra emphasize on the last word of my sentence, hoping Yuki would give up. I reclaimed my spot on Yuki's lap while he obviously wasn't paying attention, closing my eyes and relaxing.
"I was planning on doing both." Strong arms held me again, and I could tell I was winning. I felt sort of bad for manipulating him like I was, but it was for his own good. He really needed to start taking better care of himself. Out of the two of us, I think I was the one taking more care of the other.
"Yu~uki…"
"Stop that, and get up," Yuki demanded, shaking me.
"Dun wanna," I whined in return, clinging to his shirt. "Wanna sleep with Yuki."
"I'll go with you, just get up and let me close this."
"Really? YAY!" I was off of Yuki's lap in an instant, immediately awake. I'd almost fallen asleep against him, so comfortable in his arms, even though sitting sideways in a chair was kind of painful.
"Spoiled, sneaky little brat," he added as he shut down his computer, although he didn't seem upset with me. So long as Yuki wasn't mad at me, I didn't care what he called me.
"YOUR spoiled, sneaky little brat," I teased him in return, latching onto his arm as we left his office.
"Don't remind me." I hummed to myself happily as Yuki closed the door behind him, so unbelievably happy. I let go of him as we reached what was now OUR room, jumping into bed and smiling back at Yuki brightly. With a sigh he turned to leave again, and I was again attached to his arm.
"YOU SAID YOU'D SLEEP WITH ME!!!" I whined, determined not to let go until morning, when I was sure Yuki couldn't leave me.
"Not so loud!" Yuki screamed back, covering my mouth. "You're going to get us in trouble with the neighbors again." I smiled up at Yuki innocently, licking his fingers until finally he removed his hand from my face.
"The neighbors are used to it. You promised me."
"I never promised you anything, I said it," Yuki reminded me coldly, although we were slowly moving in the direction of the bed.
"Same difference."
"Not particularly. If I said I was going to kick your ass for being loud, it wouldn't be a promise anymore, would it?" Yuki asked as he dumped me onto the bed, sitting down on the edge.
"Nope. Then it'd be a lie." Yuki smiled slightly at that, not even bothering to try and hide it. "Sleep, sleep, sleep," I reminded him, pulling on his shirt gently. "Don't think you can sneak off in the middle of the night, either," I promised, lips brushing over Yuki's as I spoke.
"Believe it or not, I wasn't planning on it," Yuki answered before pulling me closer. So many things had changed since we'd first started 'dating' it was hard to believe we'd once been…well, who we'd been. True, it wasn't outwardly visible how much Yuki had changed, you could tell it in the simplest things he did.
I pulled him to lay down with me without breaking our kiss, pressing close to him. Yuki wrapped an arm around my waist in return, and finally I broke away, closing my eyes.
"Irresponsible, spoiled, sneaky little brat," Yuki added yet another thing to his list of insults, and I smiled ever so slightly. Once again he'd forgotten to mention that it was his fault I was here in the first place. If he would have left me alone that night in the park…
"You're a brat, too," I interrupted my own thoughts, trying not to think of what would have become of either of us if he wouldn't have stumbled across my lyrics that night. I didn't want to think about it, especially not now.
"Never said I wasn't."
"Yeah, you're spoiled, too," I continued, deciding I deserved the opportunity to pick on Yuki the same way he did me. I was starting to fall asleep as was, I wasn't going to be awake for much longer.
"I don't let go of what I want, if that counts as spoiled."
"It does." Yuki sighed and I moved my arm to wrap around his waist as well. "Guess I'm stuck here, then, huh?"
"You promised me you'd sleep," Yuki answered monotonously, reaching his hand up to run his fingers through my hair. I personally didn't think my hair was anything all too interesting, but Yuki seemed to like it.
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
"Yeah, I know." Yuki seemed more upset than I would have liked, and I held onto him tighter. "If you want t…"
"I'd rather be stuck with Yuki," I answered even before Yuki could voice his thoughts. As much as he picked on me you'd figure he'd know the difference between when someone was picking on him or being serious. But no, he still took some things way too seriously. "And as much as you may not like it, you're stuck with me, too."
"I could think of worse things."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *laughs evilly*
Did'ya miss me?
Does anyone even read this story anymore???
Well, whichever way, I finally got around to writing on this story again. I've been working on my original story and Beauty and the Beast so long that I got a massive case of writer's block on this story. But the convention really helped bring it back to life (walking around with all the Gravitation fans and buying all that Gravitation stuff really helped).
And just for your own good, I'd leave my original fic alone. Beauty and the Beast is all right, I guess. People seem to like it.
OMFG! I just went through and reread all the reviews you people (if you still read this) have given me over the year, and I'm seriously so happy. To tell the truth, I've been very 'God I hate the world, no one cares' for the last couple of months, but reading over your nice reviews I'm smiling and seriously about ready to cry I'm so happy.
BTW—Chapter 29 is an actual chapter, not another 'just so you know I updated' thing.