Disclaimer: If you think *I* own Gravitation, you must be crazy! It
belongs to Murakami Maki!
Genre: AU/SF/Romance
Story Type: Serial (hopefully!)
Summary: In our story so far, Yuki Eiri, a private investigator has agreed to be a bodyguard for Shindou Shuichi, an alien creature with a beautiful singing voice, and Yuki is falling for him, whether he'll admit it or not. And with a man named Uesugi Tatsuha (with the same REAL last name as Yuki) trying to find Shuichi, what will happen to either of our main characters?
Key: word = description; 'word' = thoughts; "word" = speech; WORD = emphasis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rapture
Chapter Three
Uesugi Tatsuha stumbled along the sidewalk, careful not to trip over his feet while shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight.
'What did I do to deserve this kind of pain?' he thought angrily and leaned against the nearest building for support as another massive migraine hit him like the proverbial ton of bricks. 'Just because I like alcohol as much as any other man doesn't mean that I should be cursed with hangovers like this!'
The black-haired teen shut his eyes and groaned softly, doubling over and gagging on the collecting bile in his throat.
'I SWEAR I'll never drink again if this damn hangover goes away!' he pleaded silently. 'And I'll pray every day; no, TWICE a day! And I'll try to be a better person, honest!'
His prayers went unanswered. He slumped against the wall and let out a small whimper. 'Damn alcohol and all its tasty goodness to hell!'
After being told off by his boss, Katsuragi Osamu, Tatsuha had proceeded to binge-drink until three in the morning. Now, he was paying for the consequences of his actions in the form of a massive hangover, one that he was sure to remember for a LONG time. He had only NOW stopped his marathon vomiting, and it was already nine in the morning!
Tatsuha then dragged himself to a standing position, pushed away from the wall, and continued his journey to the drug store. He was a man with a mission, and that mission was to buy six boxes of aspirin. Not that he'd USE them all today; half a box would suffice.
He fell into the nearest reputable supermarket, one that happened to be on the FAR reaches of the town he lived in, and staggered straight to the 'Personal Care' aisle.
'I'm in heaven!' he thought, moving to the aspirin that was located at the back of the aisle. 'AND it's on SALE! Maybe I really SHOULD consider not drinking anymore . . . but, then I wouldn't need to buy all this aspirin, anyway! Whatever. I won't worry about it yet.'
He took a box off the shelf and opened it, undid the plastic seal of the bottle with his fingernails, opened the bottle and pierced the metallic- paper cover, and popped three aspirin in at once. He was going to buy the bottle anyway, so why would anyone care if he opened it or not?
He sighed quietly and shoved the bottle back in the box when he overheard some conversations up the aisle. Three older women were watching Tatsuha with interest and one of them giggled, a mother was buying cough syrup for her daughter, and a cloaked figure was talking animatedly with a blonde man.
'Interesting,' Tatsuha thought as he pulled some more boxes off. 'Don't see many blondes around here. Maybe he's a foreigner, or something.'
Tatsuha stared for a minute at the blonde as he loaded his arms with boxes, having completely forgotten to get a basket at the entrance of the store.
The two left, but Tatsuha got a good look at the blonde as he was walking out of the aisle. It was just for a split-second, but it was enough for him to get a good look.
The black-haired man's jaw dropped slightly, along with his boxes of aspirin, which made a loud sound that sent shockwaves of pain through his skull.
"Damn it!" he said in pain, making the other patrons cluck reproachfully. "Sorry, folks, sorry," he mumbled as he began to move as fast as he could up the aisle, forgetting the aspirin entirely.
'EIRI?! Is it possible that it's him?'
By the time Tatsuha reached the front of the aisle, neither the cloaked figure nor the blonde were in sight. He cursed mentally and started to search the checkout lines for any sign of them.
But there was no one there.
'Shit, no!'
Then, Tatsuha saw that familiar blonde hair through one of the large floor-length windows at the front of the store. Tatsuha began to make his way to the entrance when he was stopped.
"Hey, you! Hold it, punk! What do you think you're doing?!" A store security guard ran up to him, an evil glower on his face. "You have to PAY for items in THIS store! And watch your foul mouth around women and children! What kind of man do you think you are?!"
Tatsuha shook his head through his blinding headache. "I'm sorry, officer, but I WAS gonna come back and pay for that aspirin, but I was distracted and I REALLY need to go!" He looked out the window and any trace that Eiri was there had vanished.
"OH, no, you aren't getting off THAT easily! Teenaged punks like you come in here ALL the time! I have half a mind to send you to a juvenile detention center!" He grabbed Tatsuha's arm and shook him lightly. "You have enough money to pay for the aspirin you took?"
"Of course I do, just stop shaking me, okay--"
At that, Tatsuha's face turned green, and so did the officer's shoes. He made a disgusted face and groaned. The guard removed his walkie-talkie from his holster, brought it to his mouth, and pressed a button.
"Clean up in checkout line two. . . ." he sighed loudly.
***
Once they had gotten back to the apartment and he had taken off his shoes and coat, Yuki pulled his pack of cigarettes and his lighter out of his pocket. He then snatched the bag of earplugs from Shuichi's hands and walked into his bedroom, making sure to lock the door. The earplugs were made of wax and they itched like hell.
'Whoever made these damned things didn't do a good job,' Yuki thought as he rubbed his ear lightly. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of sticking things in his ears, but he was falling hard for Shuichi and if he heard him sing like he did earlier EVER again, he would do things that he couldn't be held responsible for.
'It's not like it's my fault. They give off a lot of pheromones. And they're naturally attractive. It's not my fault at all! If anything, it's that stupid brat's fault!'
Yuki opened his pack of cigarettes and began the aesthetic process of lighting up. He had once considered switching to chewing tobacco, but he thought that using cigarettes to get his nicotine fix was a procedure that was most efficient, and the most visually pleasing. He couldn't imagine himself spitting brown, muddy gel into a bucket every five minutes.
And, he most definitely couldn't imagine himself having to clean that bucket.
He pulled his lighter out and stared at the metal casing, then flicked the side and, after initiating combustion, lit the end of his cigarette.
It was just something about the cigarette itself that Yuki enjoyed. Maybe it was because he could snuff out the flame whenever he felt like it. It was some kind of obscene power trip that he wished he could apply to life sometimes, even if it was rather disturbing to envision ending a life like one would a cigarette.
Maybe it was the way the paper and the contents of the cigarette would dwindle down to an unsightly stub. It was a comparison to life, as well, but not nearly as morbid. It was natural and normal.
Or, maybe it was Yuki's inner pyromaniac at work. You couldn't BURN chewing tobacco. Well . . . you weren't SUPPOSED to, anyway. Logically, you could burn lots of things.
Whatever the reason was, Yuki looked forward to smoking. It was the closest thing he could get to 'fun.' Plus, they were a much-needed distraction from Shindou, who had started an interesting conversation on wax in the supermarket after noticing the earplugs. The drug helped him lose focus on both the sheer magnetism and the extreme bother that was Shindou Shuichi.
'Stop thinking about him, stupid!'
The blonde took a long drag. 'Where would I be without my nicotine?'
He sighed, closed his eyes, and relaxed against the headboard with a look of contentment.
But, before Yuki really had a chance to take pleasure in his nic-fix, there was a small, timid knock at the door. "Yuki-san? Can you hear me, or have you put in your earplugs yet?"
His eyes snapped open and one of them twitched in irritation. He turned away from the door and growled quietly. Yuki's plan was to keep quiet so he wouldn't have to deal with Shuichi. He didn't want to.
"Are you asleep?" he whispered.
'That's a stupid question,' Yuki thought, but remained as quiet as he could, still holding his cigarette to his lips. He noticed that his earplugs weren't very effective if he could hear Shuichi whisper from the other side of the door and he took them out. 'No wonder they were so cheap.'
"Yuki-san, please answer me! I need new clothes! These ones are old and they smell strange. And, where is your shower? I haven't bathed recently!"
Yuki rolled his eyes and, upon deciding that Shuichi wasn't planning to move soon, sat up. He snuffed his cigarette out in his glass ashtray and padded to the door. "Why couldn't you have asked me that sooner?" he grumbled, and unlocked and opened the door.
Shuichi was holding a gray towel across his chest that he had gotten from the linen closet and was hopping back from foot to foot. "Because the power was out. But, since it's back on, can I take a shower? Please?"
At that, he quickly shut the door again and clenched his teeth, fists, and eyes in frustration. 'Damned brat. . . .'
The pink-haired boy opened the door because it was no longer locked, walked in, and then crossed his arms. "What was THAT for? I was just ASKING a question! What's your problem, Yuki-san?"
"I don't HAVE a problem."
"Yes, you do! Why do you act like such a jerk to me? You were understanding of the lady who accidentally bumped into you in the supermarket! And you were civil to the cashier! But, NO, to me, you're rude, and you're just really mean!" Shuichi glared up at Yuki, blue-purple eyes narrowed in frustration. "Are you a speciest?"
"What the hell is a speciest?" Yuki asked and subconsciously took a step toward Shuichi, who, then backed away slightly.
"What do YOU think? You just have a problem because I'm not human, don't you? I'm just as decent as anyone else!" Shuichi explained, his gaze resolute, but his feet carried him back a few more steps.
The blonde glared and stepped forward. This behavior was strangely intriguing to him. "That's not the point. I don't have any problems with other species."
"Well, I certainly can't tell that from the way you act! Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners?" A soft thud resounded in the small room as Shuichi hit the wall.
Yuki took another step closer. "Of course my parents taught me manners. Did YOURS?"
"Yuki-san, you're in my bubble!" Shuichi snapped, changing the subject.
"What the hell are you talking about NOW?"
"Everyone has their own personal-space bubble: an area where they don't like people crowding it up. It's not very comfortable to have someone in your bubble that you barely even know! So, get out of my bubble, OKAY?"
"That's a rather rude statement, isn't it?" Yuki smirked.
Shuichi looked slightly flustered, then sighed. "That conversation's old."
"No, it isn't." Yuki made a point of holding eye contact with Shuichi until the younger man looked away. He also liked that the shorter man was so easily flustered.
"THAT'S not comfortable, either! Stop staring at me, already!"
Yuki chuckled. "My line of vision is disturbing your bubble, now, huh? You're a strange person, Shindou."
"I'M not the strange one, YOU are. . . ." Shuichi re-established eye contact in the form of a glare.
Suddenly, Yuki became extremely aware of his surroundings.
Bedroom.
Shuichi.
Towel.
He growled and twisted himself away from the cornered Shuichi, who was now rightfully confused. 'Keep your FOCUS, Eiri.'
"Yuki-san? Are you okay?"
"YES, I'm okay," he muttered angrily and took a few steps away.
"I don't know . . . you look kinda flushed--"
"I SAID I was okay," Yuki snapped.
Shuichi rested his hand on Yuki's shoulder. It was warm and slightly damp. "But, I'm SERIOUS, you don't--"
Yuki quickly turned around and looked fiercely at Shuichi. He opened his mouth to speak, but when he saw the nervousness in those wide eyes, his higher brain functions seemed to cease entirely.
'Hell, I'm going to go through with it, right now!' The blonde was on autopilot, ignoring the rational voice that was yelling, 'NO, you stupid idiot, back off, back off!'
Yuki leaned down slightly to compensate for Shuichi's height and kissed him.
Shuichi's eyes widened again, but he didn't pull away from it. He didn't add to it, either, though.
Taking the initiative, Yuki wrapped his arms around Shuichi's waist, thoroughly enjoying the situation. The earlier argument on personal space was suitably nullified. Yuki thought it was funny that Shuichi had lost his irritable attitude entirely. In fact, he had closed his eyes in contentment.
Then, Yuki decided to take the contact to the next level by trying to add tongue to their kiss.
That was when Shuichi decided he had enough. His eyes snapped open and he pulled out of the embrace, blushing furiously. "What the HELL is your PROBLEM?!"
The older man was silent, not sure himself.
"I thought you hated me and the only reason you hadn't killed me yet was because I still haven't paid you all of your money yet! I mean, we were arguing less than five minutes ago! And . . . and then you KISS me? Why?" Shuichi asked, urgency and uncertainty in his voice.
"You liked it at first, didn't you?" Yuki asked.
" . . . Yes. And I think I sort of like you, too."
"Then, there's no reason to stop." The blonde started to advance on Shuichi again.
His head snapped up. "No, no! Don't. Not yet." Shuichi backed himself into the wall again with a nervous look. "Aren't we taking this a LITTLE too quickly?"
Yuki smirked. "It's not quick compared to some relationships. I know your name, at least."
"But, we don't HAVE a relationship. . . . Do we?"
There was a slight pause before Yuki said, "Well, now's a good time to make one."
Shuichi glanced back down at his feet. "It's because I'm a cantavis, right, Yuki?" he asked in a dejected tone. "Is that the only reason you're interested in me at ALL? You don't seem to like my personality very much."
"You didn't call me 'Yuki-san' that time."
"You're avoiding the subject."
Yuki stared. "Listen, Shindou. Honestly, I think your pheromones have messed me up. I don't know about you, but I haven't gotten any in SIX MONTHS. That's half of a year. HALF of an ENTIRE YEAR. I'm a little tense right now, and you aren't making that any better."
"What does THAT have to do with anything?!" Shuichi asked and blushed again. "You seemed normal up until now!"
"It has EVERYTHING to do with anything, and I just got tired of waiting."
"It's only BEEN a DAY!"
"I've never been around a cantavis before. Maybe THAT has something to do with it. Don't stick the blame on ME," Yuki snapped.
Another bout of silence fell over the room before Shuichi sighed and Yuki walked toward him again with a slightly less angry expression.
"I don't have all day to waste. C'mon, already."
"HEY, wait! Don't I have a choice in this?" Shuichi held his arms out in front of him, making an ineffective shield. "And how did this turn into . . . you-know-what? Weren't you just talking about fooling around?"
The blonde glared. "No, I'm pretty sure *I* was talking about sex."
"But, you don't understand!"
"What is there to understand?"
"You KNOW about cantavises, don't you?" The pink-haired boy looked at him with suspicion. "You seemed to know a good amount yesterday."
In his mind, Yuki rolled his eyes. Shuichi was making a big deal out of this when there was no need! "Of course." Frankly, he didn't have a CLUE as to what he was talking about, but if he could end up having sex from this, he would say pretty much anything.
"You've been aware of that for this entire conversation, right?" Shuichi asked.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Shuichi slowly dropped his hands, thusly letting his defense down. "I thought I had you figured out, Yuki. . . . Usually things like this don't happen so quickly." He thought for a moment before continuing. "You really mean it?"
"I really do."
"Truly?"
"Yes." Yuki was getting mildly irritated.
"I don't know. . . . I'm still sort of worried about this--"
"You shouldn't be."
"Yeah, I should! This is a major decision. . . ."
Shuichi stared at Yuki for a minute and finally said, "Okay. Okay, Yuki." In a sudden change of heart, Shuichi boldly walked up to Yuki and hugged him, nestling his face in his shirt. "You'd better be nice to me, though."
"Sure." Yuki awkwardly returned the gesture and smirked. 'Eiri, you fox, you've still got it! You are most DEFINITELY getting lucky tonight!'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Notes:
*Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I've been busy lately. I was in a play.
*To Shi No. Miko: a cantavis is just a made-up alien species of mine, although they're similar to the sirens from Greek mythology (see notes for Chapter Two).
*I change chapter titles a lot. At first, I was going to write the character names and the most basic character design they represent. But, now I think I'll do something different.
*Have any of the characters in Gravitation EVER had a real hangover? Most of them drink and they sometimes get drunk, but seriously, HAVE they? In Episode 6, Shuichi got drunk, but the next morning he had no signs of a hangover. He had a lot of other things to deal with, though. And in the first and second manga, Tracks 4 and 5, he got drunk again and went to the hospital but he didn't seem to have a hangover. I think Shuichi MIGHT have had a mild hangover in the first Sound Story CD, but he got over that pretty quickly. Maybe Wudbeiser is a magic beer. Or, maybe it's just that Shuichi is the only person that seems to drink to the point of excess and he has some special Pocky-powered immunity to hangovers. Otherwise, I can't explain it.
*Yuki and Shuichi's relationship does move very quickly, anyway. In this story, it moves a lot more quickly. But, to keep things in perspective, loads of relationships move a LOT faster. And, yes, there is a reason for Shuichi's sudden change in attitude. You can probably guess what's happening from the conversation, though it's supposed to be somewhat vague. Yuki doesn't even know what's going on, but he has a one-track mind right now. Probably not too original, but, what the hell!
*Shuichi talks tough sometimes, but for the sake of the story, he's not a decisive person and he's more submissive than usual, which isn't saying too much. That's why he was very easily swayed by Yuki.
*There are only four Gravitation characters here so far: Yuki, Shuichi, Noriko, and Tatsuha. There should be more of them very soon, probably in the chapter after next.
*I'm not too good at writing romance. Please forgive me for my 'romantic' sequence. True, it wasn't supposed to be EXTREMELY romantic, but still. . . . Also, I'm not too happy with this chapter. The next one should be better.
*Because of an exceptionally long book report I have to complete by the third of December, I will probably not update this story until after Thanksgiving break. So, unless you hear from me before then (which is nowhere near likely), have a very happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
*Thanks again to all of my reviewers! ^_^;; You all mean so much to me, and you guys are the greatest!
Genre: AU/SF/Romance
Story Type: Serial (hopefully!)
Summary: In our story so far, Yuki Eiri, a private investigator has agreed to be a bodyguard for Shindou Shuichi, an alien creature with a beautiful singing voice, and Yuki is falling for him, whether he'll admit it or not. And with a man named Uesugi Tatsuha (with the same REAL last name as Yuki) trying to find Shuichi, what will happen to either of our main characters?
Key: word = description; 'word' = thoughts; "word" = speech; WORD = emphasis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rapture
Chapter Three
Uesugi Tatsuha stumbled along the sidewalk, careful not to trip over his feet while shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight.
'What did I do to deserve this kind of pain?' he thought angrily and leaned against the nearest building for support as another massive migraine hit him like the proverbial ton of bricks. 'Just because I like alcohol as much as any other man doesn't mean that I should be cursed with hangovers like this!'
The black-haired teen shut his eyes and groaned softly, doubling over and gagging on the collecting bile in his throat.
'I SWEAR I'll never drink again if this damn hangover goes away!' he pleaded silently. 'And I'll pray every day; no, TWICE a day! And I'll try to be a better person, honest!'
His prayers went unanswered. He slumped against the wall and let out a small whimper. 'Damn alcohol and all its tasty goodness to hell!'
After being told off by his boss, Katsuragi Osamu, Tatsuha had proceeded to binge-drink until three in the morning. Now, he was paying for the consequences of his actions in the form of a massive hangover, one that he was sure to remember for a LONG time. He had only NOW stopped his marathon vomiting, and it was already nine in the morning!
Tatsuha then dragged himself to a standing position, pushed away from the wall, and continued his journey to the drug store. He was a man with a mission, and that mission was to buy six boxes of aspirin. Not that he'd USE them all today; half a box would suffice.
He fell into the nearest reputable supermarket, one that happened to be on the FAR reaches of the town he lived in, and staggered straight to the 'Personal Care' aisle.
'I'm in heaven!' he thought, moving to the aspirin that was located at the back of the aisle. 'AND it's on SALE! Maybe I really SHOULD consider not drinking anymore . . . but, then I wouldn't need to buy all this aspirin, anyway! Whatever. I won't worry about it yet.'
He took a box off the shelf and opened it, undid the plastic seal of the bottle with his fingernails, opened the bottle and pierced the metallic- paper cover, and popped three aspirin in at once. He was going to buy the bottle anyway, so why would anyone care if he opened it or not?
He sighed quietly and shoved the bottle back in the box when he overheard some conversations up the aisle. Three older women were watching Tatsuha with interest and one of them giggled, a mother was buying cough syrup for her daughter, and a cloaked figure was talking animatedly with a blonde man.
'Interesting,' Tatsuha thought as he pulled some more boxes off. 'Don't see many blondes around here. Maybe he's a foreigner, or something.'
Tatsuha stared for a minute at the blonde as he loaded his arms with boxes, having completely forgotten to get a basket at the entrance of the store.
The two left, but Tatsuha got a good look at the blonde as he was walking out of the aisle. It was just for a split-second, but it was enough for him to get a good look.
The black-haired man's jaw dropped slightly, along with his boxes of aspirin, which made a loud sound that sent shockwaves of pain through his skull.
"Damn it!" he said in pain, making the other patrons cluck reproachfully. "Sorry, folks, sorry," he mumbled as he began to move as fast as he could up the aisle, forgetting the aspirin entirely.
'EIRI?! Is it possible that it's him?'
By the time Tatsuha reached the front of the aisle, neither the cloaked figure nor the blonde were in sight. He cursed mentally and started to search the checkout lines for any sign of them.
But there was no one there.
'Shit, no!'
Then, Tatsuha saw that familiar blonde hair through one of the large floor-length windows at the front of the store. Tatsuha began to make his way to the entrance when he was stopped.
"Hey, you! Hold it, punk! What do you think you're doing?!" A store security guard ran up to him, an evil glower on his face. "You have to PAY for items in THIS store! And watch your foul mouth around women and children! What kind of man do you think you are?!"
Tatsuha shook his head through his blinding headache. "I'm sorry, officer, but I WAS gonna come back and pay for that aspirin, but I was distracted and I REALLY need to go!" He looked out the window and any trace that Eiri was there had vanished.
"OH, no, you aren't getting off THAT easily! Teenaged punks like you come in here ALL the time! I have half a mind to send you to a juvenile detention center!" He grabbed Tatsuha's arm and shook him lightly. "You have enough money to pay for the aspirin you took?"
"Of course I do, just stop shaking me, okay--"
At that, Tatsuha's face turned green, and so did the officer's shoes. He made a disgusted face and groaned. The guard removed his walkie-talkie from his holster, brought it to his mouth, and pressed a button.
"Clean up in checkout line two. . . ." he sighed loudly.
***
Once they had gotten back to the apartment and he had taken off his shoes and coat, Yuki pulled his pack of cigarettes and his lighter out of his pocket. He then snatched the bag of earplugs from Shuichi's hands and walked into his bedroom, making sure to lock the door. The earplugs were made of wax and they itched like hell.
'Whoever made these damned things didn't do a good job,' Yuki thought as he rubbed his ear lightly. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of sticking things in his ears, but he was falling hard for Shuichi and if he heard him sing like he did earlier EVER again, he would do things that he couldn't be held responsible for.
'It's not like it's my fault. They give off a lot of pheromones. And they're naturally attractive. It's not my fault at all! If anything, it's that stupid brat's fault!'
Yuki opened his pack of cigarettes and began the aesthetic process of lighting up. He had once considered switching to chewing tobacco, but he thought that using cigarettes to get his nicotine fix was a procedure that was most efficient, and the most visually pleasing. He couldn't imagine himself spitting brown, muddy gel into a bucket every five minutes.
And, he most definitely couldn't imagine himself having to clean that bucket.
He pulled his lighter out and stared at the metal casing, then flicked the side and, after initiating combustion, lit the end of his cigarette.
It was just something about the cigarette itself that Yuki enjoyed. Maybe it was because he could snuff out the flame whenever he felt like it. It was some kind of obscene power trip that he wished he could apply to life sometimes, even if it was rather disturbing to envision ending a life like one would a cigarette.
Maybe it was the way the paper and the contents of the cigarette would dwindle down to an unsightly stub. It was a comparison to life, as well, but not nearly as morbid. It was natural and normal.
Or, maybe it was Yuki's inner pyromaniac at work. You couldn't BURN chewing tobacco. Well . . . you weren't SUPPOSED to, anyway. Logically, you could burn lots of things.
Whatever the reason was, Yuki looked forward to smoking. It was the closest thing he could get to 'fun.' Plus, they were a much-needed distraction from Shindou, who had started an interesting conversation on wax in the supermarket after noticing the earplugs. The drug helped him lose focus on both the sheer magnetism and the extreme bother that was Shindou Shuichi.
'Stop thinking about him, stupid!'
The blonde took a long drag. 'Where would I be without my nicotine?'
He sighed, closed his eyes, and relaxed against the headboard with a look of contentment.
But, before Yuki really had a chance to take pleasure in his nic-fix, there was a small, timid knock at the door. "Yuki-san? Can you hear me, or have you put in your earplugs yet?"
His eyes snapped open and one of them twitched in irritation. He turned away from the door and growled quietly. Yuki's plan was to keep quiet so he wouldn't have to deal with Shuichi. He didn't want to.
"Are you asleep?" he whispered.
'That's a stupid question,' Yuki thought, but remained as quiet as he could, still holding his cigarette to his lips. He noticed that his earplugs weren't very effective if he could hear Shuichi whisper from the other side of the door and he took them out. 'No wonder they were so cheap.'
"Yuki-san, please answer me! I need new clothes! These ones are old and they smell strange. And, where is your shower? I haven't bathed recently!"
Yuki rolled his eyes and, upon deciding that Shuichi wasn't planning to move soon, sat up. He snuffed his cigarette out in his glass ashtray and padded to the door. "Why couldn't you have asked me that sooner?" he grumbled, and unlocked and opened the door.
Shuichi was holding a gray towel across his chest that he had gotten from the linen closet and was hopping back from foot to foot. "Because the power was out. But, since it's back on, can I take a shower? Please?"
At that, he quickly shut the door again and clenched his teeth, fists, and eyes in frustration. 'Damned brat. . . .'
The pink-haired boy opened the door because it was no longer locked, walked in, and then crossed his arms. "What was THAT for? I was just ASKING a question! What's your problem, Yuki-san?"
"I don't HAVE a problem."
"Yes, you do! Why do you act like such a jerk to me? You were understanding of the lady who accidentally bumped into you in the supermarket! And you were civil to the cashier! But, NO, to me, you're rude, and you're just really mean!" Shuichi glared up at Yuki, blue-purple eyes narrowed in frustration. "Are you a speciest?"
"What the hell is a speciest?" Yuki asked and subconsciously took a step toward Shuichi, who, then backed away slightly.
"What do YOU think? You just have a problem because I'm not human, don't you? I'm just as decent as anyone else!" Shuichi explained, his gaze resolute, but his feet carried him back a few more steps.
The blonde glared and stepped forward. This behavior was strangely intriguing to him. "That's not the point. I don't have any problems with other species."
"Well, I certainly can't tell that from the way you act! Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners?" A soft thud resounded in the small room as Shuichi hit the wall.
Yuki took another step closer. "Of course my parents taught me manners. Did YOURS?"
"Yuki-san, you're in my bubble!" Shuichi snapped, changing the subject.
"What the hell are you talking about NOW?"
"Everyone has their own personal-space bubble: an area where they don't like people crowding it up. It's not very comfortable to have someone in your bubble that you barely even know! So, get out of my bubble, OKAY?"
"That's a rather rude statement, isn't it?" Yuki smirked.
Shuichi looked slightly flustered, then sighed. "That conversation's old."
"No, it isn't." Yuki made a point of holding eye contact with Shuichi until the younger man looked away. He also liked that the shorter man was so easily flustered.
"THAT'S not comfortable, either! Stop staring at me, already!"
Yuki chuckled. "My line of vision is disturbing your bubble, now, huh? You're a strange person, Shindou."
"I'M not the strange one, YOU are. . . ." Shuichi re-established eye contact in the form of a glare.
Suddenly, Yuki became extremely aware of his surroundings.
Bedroom.
Shuichi.
Towel.
He growled and twisted himself away from the cornered Shuichi, who was now rightfully confused. 'Keep your FOCUS, Eiri.'
"Yuki-san? Are you okay?"
"YES, I'm okay," he muttered angrily and took a few steps away.
"I don't know . . . you look kinda flushed--"
"I SAID I was okay," Yuki snapped.
Shuichi rested his hand on Yuki's shoulder. It was warm and slightly damp. "But, I'm SERIOUS, you don't--"
Yuki quickly turned around and looked fiercely at Shuichi. He opened his mouth to speak, but when he saw the nervousness in those wide eyes, his higher brain functions seemed to cease entirely.
'Hell, I'm going to go through with it, right now!' The blonde was on autopilot, ignoring the rational voice that was yelling, 'NO, you stupid idiot, back off, back off!'
Yuki leaned down slightly to compensate for Shuichi's height and kissed him.
Shuichi's eyes widened again, but he didn't pull away from it. He didn't add to it, either, though.
Taking the initiative, Yuki wrapped his arms around Shuichi's waist, thoroughly enjoying the situation. The earlier argument on personal space was suitably nullified. Yuki thought it was funny that Shuichi had lost his irritable attitude entirely. In fact, he had closed his eyes in contentment.
Then, Yuki decided to take the contact to the next level by trying to add tongue to their kiss.
That was when Shuichi decided he had enough. His eyes snapped open and he pulled out of the embrace, blushing furiously. "What the HELL is your PROBLEM?!"
The older man was silent, not sure himself.
"I thought you hated me and the only reason you hadn't killed me yet was because I still haven't paid you all of your money yet! I mean, we were arguing less than five minutes ago! And . . . and then you KISS me? Why?" Shuichi asked, urgency and uncertainty in his voice.
"You liked it at first, didn't you?" Yuki asked.
" . . . Yes. And I think I sort of like you, too."
"Then, there's no reason to stop." The blonde started to advance on Shuichi again.
His head snapped up. "No, no! Don't. Not yet." Shuichi backed himself into the wall again with a nervous look. "Aren't we taking this a LITTLE too quickly?"
Yuki smirked. "It's not quick compared to some relationships. I know your name, at least."
"But, we don't HAVE a relationship. . . . Do we?"
There was a slight pause before Yuki said, "Well, now's a good time to make one."
Shuichi glanced back down at his feet. "It's because I'm a cantavis, right, Yuki?" he asked in a dejected tone. "Is that the only reason you're interested in me at ALL? You don't seem to like my personality very much."
"You didn't call me 'Yuki-san' that time."
"You're avoiding the subject."
Yuki stared. "Listen, Shindou. Honestly, I think your pheromones have messed me up. I don't know about you, but I haven't gotten any in SIX MONTHS. That's half of a year. HALF of an ENTIRE YEAR. I'm a little tense right now, and you aren't making that any better."
"What does THAT have to do with anything?!" Shuichi asked and blushed again. "You seemed normal up until now!"
"It has EVERYTHING to do with anything, and I just got tired of waiting."
"It's only BEEN a DAY!"
"I've never been around a cantavis before. Maybe THAT has something to do with it. Don't stick the blame on ME," Yuki snapped.
Another bout of silence fell over the room before Shuichi sighed and Yuki walked toward him again with a slightly less angry expression.
"I don't have all day to waste. C'mon, already."
"HEY, wait! Don't I have a choice in this?" Shuichi held his arms out in front of him, making an ineffective shield. "And how did this turn into . . . you-know-what? Weren't you just talking about fooling around?"
The blonde glared. "No, I'm pretty sure *I* was talking about sex."
"But, you don't understand!"
"What is there to understand?"
"You KNOW about cantavises, don't you?" The pink-haired boy looked at him with suspicion. "You seemed to know a good amount yesterday."
In his mind, Yuki rolled his eyes. Shuichi was making a big deal out of this when there was no need! "Of course." Frankly, he didn't have a CLUE as to what he was talking about, but if he could end up having sex from this, he would say pretty much anything.
"You've been aware of that for this entire conversation, right?" Shuichi asked.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Shuichi slowly dropped his hands, thusly letting his defense down. "I thought I had you figured out, Yuki. . . . Usually things like this don't happen so quickly." He thought for a moment before continuing. "You really mean it?"
"I really do."
"Truly?"
"Yes." Yuki was getting mildly irritated.
"I don't know. . . . I'm still sort of worried about this--"
"You shouldn't be."
"Yeah, I should! This is a major decision. . . ."
Shuichi stared at Yuki for a minute and finally said, "Okay. Okay, Yuki." In a sudden change of heart, Shuichi boldly walked up to Yuki and hugged him, nestling his face in his shirt. "You'd better be nice to me, though."
"Sure." Yuki awkwardly returned the gesture and smirked. 'Eiri, you fox, you've still got it! You are most DEFINITELY getting lucky tonight!'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Notes:
*Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I've been busy lately. I was in a play.
*To Shi No. Miko: a cantavis is just a made-up alien species of mine, although they're similar to the sirens from Greek mythology (see notes for Chapter Two).
*I change chapter titles a lot. At first, I was going to write the character names and the most basic character design they represent. But, now I think I'll do something different.
*Have any of the characters in Gravitation EVER had a real hangover? Most of them drink and they sometimes get drunk, but seriously, HAVE they? In Episode 6, Shuichi got drunk, but the next morning he had no signs of a hangover. He had a lot of other things to deal with, though. And in the first and second manga, Tracks 4 and 5, he got drunk again and went to the hospital but he didn't seem to have a hangover. I think Shuichi MIGHT have had a mild hangover in the first Sound Story CD, but he got over that pretty quickly. Maybe Wudbeiser is a magic beer. Or, maybe it's just that Shuichi is the only person that seems to drink to the point of excess and he has some special Pocky-powered immunity to hangovers. Otherwise, I can't explain it.
*Yuki and Shuichi's relationship does move very quickly, anyway. In this story, it moves a lot more quickly. But, to keep things in perspective, loads of relationships move a LOT faster. And, yes, there is a reason for Shuichi's sudden change in attitude. You can probably guess what's happening from the conversation, though it's supposed to be somewhat vague. Yuki doesn't even know what's going on, but he has a one-track mind right now. Probably not too original, but, what the hell!
*Shuichi talks tough sometimes, but for the sake of the story, he's not a decisive person and he's more submissive than usual, which isn't saying too much. That's why he was very easily swayed by Yuki.
*There are only four Gravitation characters here so far: Yuki, Shuichi, Noriko, and Tatsuha. There should be more of them very soon, probably in the chapter after next.
*I'm not too good at writing romance. Please forgive me for my 'romantic' sequence. True, it wasn't supposed to be EXTREMELY romantic, but still. . . . Also, I'm not too happy with this chapter. The next one should be better.
*Because of an exceptionally long book report I have to complete by the third of December, I will probably not update this story until after Thanksgiving break. So, unless you hear from me before then (which is nowhere near likely), have a very happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
*Thanks again to all of my reviewers! ^_^;; You all mean so much to me, and you guys are the greatest!