A/N: Hi again! In my own personal tradition of sickeningly productive use
of time, I spent the entire duration of an incredibly boring New Year's
Eve party writing this, so I hope it pleases you. Not that I had anything
better to do. ^_^ I'm really starting to get an idea of what I want to
write now, and I expect it'll last at least into February. I'm sure we're
all up for it! Anyway, I wanna give a special thanks to my new beta,
Fiona! My random suggestion of the day is to read the novel "A Separate
Peace" by John Knowles, then write tons of Gene/Phineas slash so that
fanfiction.net will make a separate category for the book. Not that anyone
whatsoever will. But I suppose Touya/Yukito should be enough. I'm never
satisfied. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter of "The Dance". Please
review, and please come back for more!!! ~Rachael~
Chapter Three: The Dinner
Rather tired, I collapse into my chair to admire my handiwork. My fettucine alfredo is on my side of the table, Touya's lasagna is on the other, and the spaghetti and meatballs rests in between, accompanied by the bottle of wine (Cabernet Sobignon, 1986) and a single candle on either side of the dish. I figure that a candlelight dinner will clue him in, or at least make it less of a shock when I finally tell him how I feel. But my brief respite doesn't last long...
Yet again, the doorbell rings. This time it must be Touya. I take a deep breath, then get up and walk toward the door. As it swings open, my eyes sweep his form from head to toe; taking in the wonderful thing that is Touya. His hair has been gelled and combed into a look that's much less messy than usual, which makes me frown a bit. Not that I don't like it, it's just that I know even I won't be able to play with his hair tonight, which is one of the fun things about my Touya. That's another reason I wouldn't like his hair like this every day; it just doesn't seem, doesn't feel like the Touya I know and love so much. But it's just for one night, and it looks nice so I suppose I should just enjoy it.
The rest of his outfit looks equally good; though again, such a formal look is hardly Kinomoto Touya. His suit is jet black, though the candlelight makes it shine with a hint of deep brown umber. The shirt beneath is also black, with contrast provided by a red silk tie. I never knew he could dress himself so well, and wonder in the back of my head if Sakura had helped him pick it out. And to top it all off, he carried a magnificent black cane, topped with a gold handle. Wow..... But I should definitely stop my ogling. He could get a little freaked out when he thought someone was checking him out. "Welcome, Touya, come in, come in..." He tried, but of course I was blocking the way. I wouldn't call myself clumsy exactly, but my body often seems to be where others need to go. Especially when I'm nervous, like now...
Touya looks around, and his eyes finally rest upon the table. "Italian... How did you ever find out I like lasagna?" I smile. Sakura had once told me. "Oh, I know things..." He looks at me strangely, until finally I have to break the silence. "Let's eat!" He can't disagree with that.
He sits down, and his hand reaches toward the middle of the table. He must want some spaghetti. Huh, I wonder if it'll happen like that scene in "Lady and the Tramp" when the dogs are eating spaghetti, and they both bite onto the same piece. They both slurp it up, and their mouths meet in the middle of the spaghetti for a kiss. How cute that would be... I just said the word "cute." Oh well. It doesn't matter anyway, he was reaching for the wine. "Oh, did you want to pour it?"
"Uhhhh..." He looks kind of nervous, maybe even a bit uncomfortable. I must have said something weird. "Uh, sure. Do you have a corkscrew or something?" I start to get up, but he pulls a Swiss Army knife out of his coat pocket. "Never mind..." I close my eyes, hoping Touya doesn't notice. He carefully twists until the cork comes free with minimal spray. *I wish for Touya to accept what I have to say tonight.* Wishing when a cork is popped is something I picked up from my grandmother. When I open my eyes, Touya has just finished pouring my glass and starts on his own. He poured my glass first. But that's just polite, of course, unless it isn't just polite... Hmmm. He looks up at me and lifts his glass. Oh no, I have nothing to toast. I'll just say the first thing that pops into my head. "To To-ya, the best friend a person could have!" His face shows signs of confused amusement; oh my gosh, did I just say what I think I just said??? "..... To Yukito," he said awkwardly, "who is also a great friend." Then he seemed to open up. "I'm glad I found him, and I wouldn't choose another best friend if I could. Yes, definitely to Yuki... my best friend too. Cheers!" Our glasses clinked, and I took a drink somewhere between a deep sip and a light gulp. I can't believe he said that; I feel so happy! My insides still feel all light, that feeling that's tight and loose at the same time. I'm probably blushing badly, but fortunately the candlelight hides it. God bless those candles...
We eat, and our conversation turns to silly little things I can no longer remember, just school and the like. If any of it had been important, I would surely remember it. After what Touya said during the toast, I was floating away somewhere among the clouds, replaying "definitely Yuki, my best friend" over and over... "I'm so glad I found him, and I wouldn't choose anyone else." It becomes more and more fantastic with each repetition, until Touya is practically proclaiming his love for me. "Yuki," he says, "Yuki, I think--"
"I know," I cut him off, my voice reduced to almost a romantic drawl. "Me too..."
"Then we'd better get going. I don't want to be late."
Mmmmmmm, that *voice*. I could listen to it forever. "Late for what, To- yaaa...?"
"Ummm... For the DANCE? The one I got you a ticket for last week? The reason we're both wearing... suits?" That shook me awake.
"Oh, yeah!" I jump out of my seat. He looks at me again. He's been looking at me a lot tonight, especially with that expression. Blushing even more, I hurry to open the door, hold it for Touya to leave, and follow him out, locking it behind me.
As he drives us to the dance on his motorcycle, I can only think, with embarrassment, about what had happened. He must have been wondering what was going on... well, he'll find out soon enough. Sweat trickles down my cheek from the heat of my face inside the helmet. I can't believe I was so lost in my fantasy world! I wonder why I have to suffer so much for loving. Then again, it's only suffering if I let it become so, which I resolve firmly and immediately not to let happen. I snuggle closer to Touya on the bike, my arms hugging more tightly around his thick outer jacket. Even speeding through the cold on a winter night, as long as I'm with Touya I know I'll never get cold. At the very least, my heart will always stay warm.
Our ride ends all too soon. He parks the bike and helps me off, lifting me under my arms and placing me on the ground. We both take our helmets off, and he removes his gloves and places them inside the headgear. Then he notices I wasn't wearing any gloves. "God, Yuki, you should know enough to wear gloves by now!" He takes my wrist and holds it to his cheek, which I can feel the warmth radiating from even before I touch it. With the back of my hand I can feel a small amount of stubble, though I can tell he had probably shaved this morning. How I wish I could touch this cheek of my own free will. "Your hands are so cold!" he reprimanded. I hadn't noticed, and I tell him so. "That's bull... Here, let me warm you up." He takes both my hands in his and rubs them swiftly but gently together; I can feel his soft strength. Then he does something that surprises me. He brings my hands up to his mouth and starts to blow on them. His lips brush gently against my right hand, and in my mind's eye I can see myself, strangely enough, as a princess being kissed gracefully on the hand by her prince. I'm not sure if it's the "kiss" or the gender change, but I'm blushing yet again. Eventually he drops my hands and we walk into the dance.
Chapter Three: The Dinner
Rather tired, I collapse into my chair to admire my handiwork. My fettucine alfredo is on my side of the table, Touya's lasagna is on the other, and the spaghetti and meatballs rests in between, accompanied by the bottle of wine (Cabernet Sobignon, 1986) and a single candle on either side of the dish. I figure that a candlelight dinner will clue him in, or at least make it less of a shock when I finally tell him how I feel. But my brief respite doesn't last long...
Yet again, the doorbell rings. This time it must be Touya. I take a deep breath, then get up and walk toward the door. As it swings open, my eyes sweep his form from head to toe; taking in the wonderful thing that is Touya. His hair has been gelled and combed into a look that's much less messy than usual, which makes me frown a bit. Not that I don't like it, it's just that I know even I won't be able to play with his hair tonight, which is one of the fun things about my Touya. That's another reason I wouldn't like his hair like this every day; it just doesn't seem, doesn't feel like the Touya I know and love so much. But it's just for one night, and it looks nice so I suppose I should just enjoy it.
The rest of his outfit looks equally good; though again, such a formal look is hardly Kinomoto Touya. His suit is jet black, though the candlelight makes it shine with a hint of deep brown umber. The shirt beneath is also black, with contrast provided by a red silk tie. I never knew he could dress himself so well, and wonder in the back of my head if Sakura had helped him pick it out. And to top it all off, he carried a magnificent black cane, topped with a gold handle. Wow..... But I should definitely stop my ogling. He could get a little freaked out when he thought someone was checking him out. "Welcome, Touya, come in, come in..." He tried, but of course I was blocking the way. I wouldn't call myself clumsy exactly, but my body often seems to be where others need to go. Especially when I'm nervous, like now...
Touya looks around, and his eyes finally rest upon the table. "Italian... How did you ever find out I like lasagna?" I smile. Sakura had once told me. "Oh, I know things..." He looks at me strangely, until finally I have to break the silence. "Let's eat!" He can't disagree with that.
He sits down, and his hand reaches toward the middle of the table. He must want some spaghetti. Huh, I wonder if it'll happen like that scene in "Lady and the Tramp" when the dogs are eating spaghetti, and they both bite onto the same piece. They both slurp it up, and their mouths meet in the middle of the spaghetti for a kiss. How cute that would be... I just said the word "cute." Oh well. It doesn't matter anyway, he was reaching for the wine. "Oh, did you want to pour it?"
"Uhhhh..." He looks kind of nervous, maybe even a bit uncomfortable. I must have said something weird. "Uh, sure. Do you have a corkscrew or something?" I start to get up, but he pulls a Swiss Army knife out of his coat pocket. "Never mind..." I close my eyes, hoping Touya doesn't notice. He carefully twists until the cork comes free with minimal spray. *I wish for Touya to accept what I have to say tonight.* Wishing when a cork is popped is something I picked up from my grandmother. When I open my eyes, Touya has just finished pouring my glass and starts on his own. He poured my glass first. But that's just polite, of course, unless it isn't just polite... Hmmm. He looks up at me and lifts his glass. Oh no, I have nothing to toast. I'll just say the first thing that pops into my head. "To To-ya, the best friend a person could have!" His face shows signs of confused amusement; oh my gosh, did I just say what I think I just said??? "..... To Yukito," he said awkwardly, "who is also a great friend." Then he seemed to open up. "I'm glad I found him, and I wouldn't choose another best friend if I could. Yes, definitely to Yuki... my best friend too. Cheers!" Our glasses clinked, and I took a drink somewhere between a deep sip and a light gulp. I can't believe he said that; I feel so happy! My insides still feel all light, that feeling that's tight and loose at the same time. I'm probably blushing badly, but fortunately the candlelight hides it. God bless those candles...
We eat, and our conversation turns to silly little things I can no longer remember, just school and the like. If any of it had been important, I would surely remember it. After what Touya said during the toast, I was floating away somewhere among the clouds, replaying "definitely Yuki, my best friend" over and over... "I'm so glad I found him, and I wouldn't choose anyone else." It becomes more and more fantastic with each repetition, until Touya is practically proclaiming his love for me. "Yuki," he says, "Yuki, I think--"
"I know," I cut him off, my voice reduced to almost a romantic drawl. "Me too..."
"Then we'd better get going. I don't want to be late."
Mmmmmmm, that *voice*. I could listen to it forever. "Late for what, To- yaaa...?"
"Ummm... For the DANCE? The one I got you a ticket for last week? The reason we're both wearing... suits?" That shook me awake.
"Oh, yeah!" I jump out of my seat. He looks at me again. He's been looking at me a lot tonight, especially with that expression. Blushing even more, I hurry to open the door, hold it for Touya to leave, and follow him out, locking it behind me.
As he drives us to the dance on his motorcycle, I can only think, with embarrassment, about what had happened. He must have been wondering what was going on... well, he'll find out soon enough. Sweat trickles down my cheek from the heat of my face inside the helmet. I can't believe I was so lost in my fantasy world! I wonder why I have to suffer so much for loving. Then again, it's only suffering if I let it become so, which I resolve firmly and immediately not to let happen. I snuggle closer to Touya on the bike, my arms hugging more tightly around his thick outer jacket. Even speeding through the cold on a winter night, as long as I'm with Touya I know I'll never get cold. At the very least, my heart will always stay warm.
Our ride ends all too soon. He parks the bike and helps me off, lifting me under my arms and placing me on the ground. We both take our helmets off, and he removes his gloves and places them inside the headgear. Then he notices I wasn't wearing any gloves. "God, Yuki, you should know enough to wear gloves by now!" He takes my wrist and holds it to his cheek, which I can feel the warmth radiating from even before I touch it. With the back of my hand I can feel a small amount of stubble, though I can tell he had probably shaved this morning. How I wish I could touch this cheek of my own free will. "Your hands are so cold!" he reprimanded. I hadn't noticed, and I tell him so. "That's bull... Here, let me warm you up." He takes both my hands in his and rubs them swiftly but gently together; I can feel his soft strength. Then he does something that surprises me. He brings my hands up to his mouth and starts to blow on them. His lips brush gently against my right hand, and in my mind's eye I can see myself, strangely enough, as a princess being kissed gracefully on the hand by her prince. I'm not sure if it's the "kiss" or the gender change, but I'm blushing yet again. Eventually he drops my hands and we walk into the dance.