AN: ...Gods this is so fluffy --dies-- Enjoy the fluff while you can X3
Posted: Dec. 9, 2004

Moments of Life
Part Four

Yuki inserted his key in the hole and turned the lock, slipping his shoes off once he was inside his apartment. He tossed his keys onto the hall table and ran a hand through his hair, a bit drained after spending the past 2 hours with his sister and Touma. As much as he loved them – though he'd never admit it – they still wore on his nerves with their constant questions; though they'd at least stopped hammering him about how to lead his life and fussing over whether he was doing well or not. For that he was grateful.

Hearing music drifting from the kitchen, he raised an eyebrow and warily went to inspect, half-expecting to find his kitchen a mess. Even though Shuichi had gotten better at cooking, he still had mishaps every now and again. Quietly opening the door, he found his lover thoroughly focused on whatever it was he was stirring in a large white bowl, his tongue peeking out from the corner of his mouth.

The author couldn't suppress a slight smile at the sight, tilting his head toward the radio and silently approving of the choice of music. It seemed Shuichi had taken a liking to classical music – ever since it had been playing in the background when things had gotten a bit steamy in his office a few months ago.

Yuki watched as the singer finished stirring and reached for the bag of flour, starting to carefully pour it into a measuring cup, still utterly oblivious to the blond's presence. Smirking faintly, he pushed off the wall and headed over. "So what's the occasion?" he asked, completely caught off guard by the way Shuichi jumped in surprise and spun around, filling the air with a thick white cloud of flour in the process.

The novelist blinked, his lips twitching slightly as a strange sensation built in his chest. The way Shuichi was looking at him with an adorably shocked and wide-eyed expression, coupled with the white powder settling in his hair and on his face, soon had an unfamiliar sound escaping his throat. Within moments Yuki Eiri was bracing one arm against the wall, his other around his waist as he genuinely laughed for the first time in close to ten years – a deep, rich laugh that was slightly husky from disuse.

Shuichi's eyes widened even more as he slowly moved toward his lover, the corners of his own mouth turning up a bit as what was happening sank in. "Yuki...?" he asked quietly, his voice wavering slightly with his own suppressed laughter. He blinked a few times and shook his head, a few faint puffs of white cloud falling from his hair in the process.

Yuki shifted to lean back against the wall, his head falling forward as he wrapped his other arm around his waist as well, the unfamiliar, almost ticklish feeling in his stomach seeming to only make him laugh harder. He felt the younger male lean against him and heard his laughter, tilting his head and closing his eyes as he buried his face against Shuichi's neck, not caring about the flour that got on him as a result. They stood like that for a while, eventually calming down enough so only a few chuckles escaped every so often.

"I like your laugh..." Shuichi murmured softly after a long moment, a wide smile playing over his lips as he kissed Yuki's temple.

"Don't get used to it," the author replied dryly, a barely perceptible hoarseness to his voice. His expression was back to normal, the only things giving away his sudden outburst of laughter the amusement still evident in his eyes and a faint upturn of the corners of his lips.

Shuichi sighed softly and nuzzled his lover's shoulder, quickly tilting his head to nip the blond's earlobe. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly happy with having heard it at least once," he replied. "And I'm not going to forget it," he added, wiggling his eyebrows with a grin.

"Mmm... You never answered my question," Yuki said, reaching up to brush some flour off the other man's nose and snickering when he only managed to smear it more.

The singer's eyes widened and he quickly pulled back, tugging Yuki with him and shooing him toward the door. "It's a surprise! Out, out, and don't come back until I tell you," he said with a laugh, pushing his lover out of the kitchen and giving him a sound kiss on the lips before turning around to go back to work.

Yuki stared at the closed door with a raised eyebrow for a moment before sighing, shaking his head with a quiet snicker before heading to his office; knowing perfectly well Shuichi was attempting to make him a birthday cake. He sat down and winced faintly at his sore stomach muscles, another soft laugh escaping him at the memory. He wasn't exactly sure why he'd laughed, but he knew he'd sorely needed it; needed the knowledge that he was still even capable of laughing. Shuichi had given that to him, and that was the best gift he could have ever asked for.