An hour had passed before Tsukioka had finished his tale, and Aoshi had heard absolutely no one come near the room they were in. Seeing as how some of the worst gossips in Japan were currently residing under this very roof, that was something of a miracle. He said as much to Tsukioka, and succeeded in coaxing a reluctant chuckle out of him.
"Well, are you regretting it now?" The artist seemed somewhere between hopeful and resigned, though he did try very hard to cover up both.
Aoshi raised an eyebrow. "Hardly. Just digesting. You have had some harsh times, and very little lately seems to have balanced that out."
Again, that self-mocking bark of laughter, and then an almost-petulant scowl as Tsukioka replied. "I don't even know why I'm so upset about the house – it was terrible house. It leaked like a sieve, and I might as well have been sleeping in the streets for all the warmth it gave." He paused then, and when he spoke again he didn't meet Aoshi's eyes. "And it was … very lonely."
Aoshi nodded, but didn't say anything beyond "Ah."
Again they stayed like that, in silence, until a deliberate noise from outside the room drew their attention to the presence there. Aoshi stood up, though he already knew who was behind the door. When he did, Tsukioka flinched. It was an extremely tiny movement, and very adeptly suppressed, so that no one who was not trained to notice little, little things would miss it. But Aoshi was trained to see the little things, and to him Tsukioka may as well have shouted.
"Misao-chan." Aoshi had the door halfway open as he said this, and was quite able to see the young girl jump away from the wall. He pretended not to notice, though – she hadn't arrived soon enough to hear anything, anyways. "I had almost forgotten that you are sixteen now."
She flinched, much more obviously than Tsukioka had. She really did hate being reminded of her age. "And?"
"And it would be most improper for us to sleep in the same room now that you are no longer a little child. I believe I will stay here with Tsukioka-san."
Misao glowed, until the first and last parts of what he had said caught up with her. "Wha …? He, he doesn't mind, does he?"
Aoshi had very carefully put himself at an angle so that he could see both Misao and Tsukioka, so he didn't miss the little jerk the artist had made when Aoshi made his little statement. Funny how he couldn't tell what Sagara was thinking when his body language screamed loudly enough that a beginner should be able to read him, but he could tell the individual differences in the flinches of Sagara's best friend as easily as reading a shop sign. The twitch Tsukioka had made just then was not an upset motion – just a startled one.
"Not to y understanding, no." Aoshi would have smiled at the expression on Misao's face had he not been trying so very hard to keep a straight face.
"Oh. I'll … um … I'll get your things then … um … it'llonllyakeasecond,waitrightherei'llberightback!" Misao ran down the hallway, and Aoshi smiled at her retreating back.
He was still smiling when he turned around and saw Tsukioka's expression, and that was just too much. Aoshi laughed, though he kept it confined to his nose it sounded like a particularly loud exhalation.
"W-why …?" Tsukioka seemed unable to do anything other than stare at him in amazement, and Aoshi idly thought that if the Aoiya ever went bankrupt, he'd have no trouble finding a job stunning people speechless.
It was kind of fun, actually.
"Because …" What was wrong with him today? He couldn't seem to stop wanting to smile. "Because I'm not that fond of being alone, either."
Aoshi waited until Tsukioka seemed at least able to understand what he was saying before he added, "And I do not believe it is possible for you to snore as loudly as Misao-chan does."
*********************
Well, I like the content of this one, but I'm not too fond of the writing. Didn't really turnout the way I wanted it too. Eh, whatever. It's not so terrible I feel the need to completely scrap it, so I'll just be content with this and try harder on the next one. And Aoshi is finally getting a chance to express his sense of humor.
Yay.
Lychee2: I'm kinda that way with reviews myself – it's not that I don't care, it's just that I have serious, serious problems expressing exactly what I like about a story. (What I dislike is another matter, but I try not to leave that kind of review). If I reviewed every story I like on ff.net, 99% would be completely useless. Now, for chapter 12, the night is Misao, the twilight it Katsu, and the chapter is about Misao asking Katsu to paint the picture for Aoshi. 18, I just gave the wind a personality (no symbolism, just extreme personification), and the man is Katsu, again. And you're not dense at all – I'm just twisted. ^_^
Nicky: Thank you very much for the wonderful complements. I can't take them for crap, but I really do appreciate them. And ever since the idea crept into my head, I have been obsessed with Katsu/Aoshi, and completely crushed that I've only ever found one fic with the pairing in it. (Blackout Craving by um … um …oh shit, I forgot who wrote it, but you can find it on Kuryousei's site under her "favorites" section) And even then, it's just a side pairing. .
Brittany67: *sings* green green green green! (I'm glad you're enjoying this!)
Kuroyousei: My personal opinion is that Katsu and Aoshi are actually a lot alike, once you think about it, so why shouldn't they have some form of basic understanding? (Besides the fact that it is absolutely adorable, of course) And I know exactly what you're talking about with the fics that make him a mute. It's really annoying – Aoshi talks quite a lot in the show, when you think about it. He's usually even got some kind of speech for every episode he appears in (not all of them, but most).
SO STOP MAKING HIM INTO A PIECE OF EXTREMLY HOT SCENERY! (To all mute!Aoshi writers out there. You know who you are …)
And I don't want to sound like a complete idiot but … what song?