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Posted: Dec. 7, 2004
Moments of Life
Part Two
Yuki Eiri yawned quietly and sat back, running a hand through his slightly disheveled hair. He'd just completed another chapter on his novel, though he wasn't sure if he should be content with that or not, since it really wasn't anything new. Saving his work, he glanced at the clock and was hardly surprised to see it was near two in the morning; he was used to going to bed at odd times and working around spurts of inspiration.
He shut his laptop off and stood, stretching and wincing slightly as his shoulders popped on his way out of his office. Seeing a faint glow coming from the living room, he headed toward it and glanced in, smirking faintly and leaning against the entranceway at the sight that greeted him.
Shuichi had apparently fallen asleep while watching TV, sprawled out on the couch with one hand dangling to the floor, the other clutching his shirt over his collarbone and his face turned into the back cushions. Yuki stayed where he was, silently watching the subtle changes on the younger man's face from the changing colours on the quiet TV, pushing off the wall long moments later to pick up the remote and turn it off.
That done, he turned to look down at the singer and moved to sit on the edge of the couch, glancing at the hand on Shuichi's chest. He knew very well what that hand was grasping under the shirt: a small charm of two eighth-notes beamed together, tarnished-silver and hooked onto a delicate-looking black chain. It had been a gift from him to the singer on their three-year anniversary, and it had rarely left the slender neck since.
Yuki reached over and lightly brushed his fingers over the back of the younger man's tanned hand, having gradually become more comfortable with casual touching over the past years. It was rather hard not to with such a touchy-feely type of person for a lover. A soft frown of thought tugged at the blond's lips, his mind drifting as he wondered what that word really meant to him. Even after all this time, he still wasn't sure if he truly loved Shuichi or not, though he'd long ago given up trying to deny he felt something for the still-hyperactive man.
He knew he was letting his past have an influence over his life even now, and he wasn't exactly happy with it, but he didn't know any other way to live. He had accepted that Shuichi loved him – or was at least still infatuated enough to stay with him – but beyond that he'd tried not to analyse his own feelings too closely. Old memories tended to surface when he did. And the fact that he'd never really told Shuichi about his past – beyond the cookie-cutter and straight-cut facts version – didn't help that matter any. Yet everyday he could feel his resolve weakening just a bit, could hear the walls he'd built around himself crumbling with every casual touch or affectionate look.
Yuki knew he was just about to the point where he would have to make a final decision; to either acknowledge that he did in fact love Shuichi, or to play the past four years off as nothing more than an extended fling. His hand paused in its slow movements, an ache of disquiet forming in his chest with that thought. Could he live without Shuichi? His immediate response to that was an absolute yes, though he quickly identified that as his pride answering. If he actually thought it over, he honestly knew he couldn't live without the younger man next to him.
He didn't like that, but at the same time he was content, knowing he'd been fortunate enough to stumble upon the sole person who could have ever hoped to get this close to him. He brushed his fingers against the back of Shuichi's, glancing down when they threaded through his and still kept hold of the necklace. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to the skin of his lover's neck, snorting softly at the sigh that escaped as a result.
"Wake up," he said, squeezing Shuichi's hand lightly before reaching up to flick his nose.
"Mmnnngh," was the moaned response, followed by the smaller man rolling onto his side and curling into the back of the couch.
Yuki snickered and shifted to lie behind the singer, resting his lips against an ear and slipping his arm around the slim waist, sliding his hand over Shuichi's chest and lightly teasing a nipple. He couldn't help but smirk at the immediate reaction of his lover arching into his touch, the red and black head tilting back with a soft whimper.
Violet eyes fluttered opened and looked back at the blond, smiling faintly as he shifted enough to nuzzle Yuki's neck.
"Now that you're awake, let's go to bed," he murmured quietly, idly rubbing Shuichi's stomach.
The singer pouted briefly – even at 23 he managed to pull that expression off without losing his dignity – before stretching. "Wake me up like that only to tell me to go back to bed..." he complained.
"I'd prefer not to have you complaining in the morning for having slept on the couch," Yuki replied dryly, pulling away and sliding off the couch.
Shuichi followed suit and slipped an arm around his lover's waist as they headed to the bedroom. "I wouldn't complain if you slept there with me," he purred with a quiet laugh, nuzzling Yuki's shoulder before crawling into bed and resting his head on the blond's chest with a yawn. "Night," he murmured softly.
Yuki rested an arm around his lover and stroked his hair, listening as his breathing evened out and feeling his body slowly go limp with sleep. His thoughts continued drifting over their previous course, drawing a sigh of mild annoyance from him before he pushed them to the back of his mind. He'd worry about things like that when the time came; for now he'd satisfy himself with the knowledge that Shuichi was there and didn't seem to want to leave any time soon.